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1 

2 

3 

1 

a 

3 

4 

• 

6 

I    i 


"..  ^^; 


,^0m 


"BP^KU. 


Thk  I'.  S.  Wkii.iii   hei.k  in   imh  I(  k  .m-  Si.u'ake  Island  Hakiiok. 


iFrom  a  photograph  by  Hrailford.) 


/•>  oniisf-itcc. 


1 


The  Labrador  Coast. 


70URN.^L    OF   TIVO  SUMMER    CRUISFS 
TO   THAT  REGION. 

WITH  Nrrrns  on  its  harlv  discovhrv,  on  thr  fsk'.mo. 

^^N    ITS   PHYSICAI     GHOGRAPHY,  (iHOl.OGY 
AND  NATURAL  HISTORY, 


BY 


[   ^ 


'\  i 


ALPHHUS  SI>RING  PACKARD,  M.D     Ph  D 


*Wa<tb  flbapa  an&  Ifllustratiotig. 


NEW   YORK  : 

N.  D.  C.  HODGES,  Publisher, 
47  Lafayette  Place. 

LONDON:  keGAN  PAUL.  TRENCH.  TRUBNER  &  CO. 

1891. 


i 


To    THE    MEMORY    OF 

PAUL  A.  CHADBOURNE, 

I.ATK    I'RKSinKNT    OK  Wl  Mr  AMS    VOi.U-.C.K,   AM)    KOK    SOMK. 

TIME      PROFKSSOR      ,)|.     (  IIKMISTRV     AM)     NATUUAL 

HISTORY    IN    IIOWDOIN     COI.I.KGK ,    AND    WHO 

CONDICTF.I)      TirK     KIKSr     STIDKNTs' 

KXPKDITION  KROM    WII.IIAMS 

•  •OI.I.F.CK  TO  I.AliRADOR. 

THIS    ROOK    IS    (JkATEKl'I.LV    INSCRIUKI) 

IIV    MIS    l-ORMKR    I'UPII.    AND    KRIK.ND,   TIIK    Al'TIIOR.    U  ||<) 

<;i.ADI.Y      ACKNOWI.KDCKS      TllK      KNCr  )URA(;|.:MKNT 

AND  MANY  KINDNKSSES  RECEIVED  IROM    HIM 

IN    HIS   EARLY  STIDENP    DAYS. 


,:ni 


^  I 


5^343 


a 


If    A 


PREFACE. 


The  Labrador  Peninsula  is  less  known  than  the  interior  of 
Africa  or  the  wastes  of  Siberia.  Its  rivers  are  still  stocked 
with  salmon  ;  its  inland  waters  are  the  breeding  places  of  count- 
less birds.  Its  numerous  and  deep  fiords,  and  the  splendid 
mountain  scenery  of  the  northern  coast,  with  its  Arctic  ice- 
fields and  thousand  bergs,  and  the  Eskimos,  christianized  and 
heathen,  will  never  cease  to  tempt  to  this  threshold  of  the  Arc- 
tic regions  the  hardy  explorer  or  the  adventurous  j'achtsman. 

Though  this  book  is  mainly  based  on  observations  and  col- 
lections made  by  the  author  in  his  early  student  days,  it  was 
thought  that  some  general  and  standard  account  of  the  Labra- 
dor coast,  its  geography,  its  people,  its  fisheries,  its  geology,  as 
well  as  its  animals  and  plants,  might  be  useful,  even  if  future 
explorations  of  the  great  fiords  and  of  the  interior  plateaux 
and  rivers  might  in  time  result  in  far  more  complete  works. 

The  scientific  results,  geological  and  zoological,  are  reprinted 
from  the  Memoirs  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History 
for  1867.  Chapters  I,  II,  III,  and  VI  are  reprinted  by  per- 
mission from  the  Bulletin  of  the  American  (Geographical 
Society  for  1888.  Chapters  IV  and  XIII  first  appeared  in  the 
Atmricnti  NaiurJist,  and  Chapter  V  is  reprinted  from  Apple- 
tons  Journal. 

Sportsmen  and  ornithologists  will  be  interested  in  the  list 
of  Labrador  birds  by  Mr.  L.  W.  Turner,  which  has  been  kind- 


Preface. 


\y  revised  atul  brought  clown  to  date  by  Dr.  J.  A.  Allen.  Dr. 
S.  H.  Sciulder  has  contributed  the  list  of  butterflies,  and  Prof. 
John  Macoun,  of  Ottawa,  Canada,  has  kindly  prepared  the  list 
of  Labrador  i)lants.  The  proof  of  this  chapter  has,  in  his 
absence,  been  read  by  Mr.  Sercno  Watson,  Curator  of  the 
Harvard  Herbarium,  and  who  has  kindly  made  some  addi- 
tional notes  and  corrections. 

Much  pains  has  been  taken  to  render  the  bibliography 
comj)lete,  and  the  author  is  indebted  to  Dr.  Franz  Boas  and 
others  for  several  titles  and  important  suggestions  ;  and  it  is 
hoped  that  this  feature  of  the  book  will  recommend  it  to  col- 
lectors of  Americana. 

The  author  also  acknowledges  his  great  indebtedness  to 
William  Bradford,  Esq.,  the  Arctic  traveller  and  artist,  for  con- 
stant aid  and  courtesies  extended  while  a  member  of  his  party, 
and  for  the  gift  of  a  number  of  photographs  of  the  coast  scenery 
and  of  the  Eskimos,  some  of  which  have  been  reproduced  in 
this  volume. 

The  results  of  the  three  Canadian  expeditions  to  Hudson's 
Bay  under  Lieut.  A.  R.  Gordon,  R.  N.,  of  which  Dr.  Robert 
Bell  was  the  naturalist  and  geologist ;  and  of  the  journeys  of 
Dr.  K.  R.  Koch,  and  of  Mr.  Randle  F.  Holme,  have  been  in- 
cluded, so  that  the  work  has  been  brought  down  to  date  and 
represents  our  present  knowledge  of  the  coast  ind  interior. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  volume  will  serve  as  a  guide  to  the 
Labrador  coast  for  the  use  of  travellers,  yachtsmen,  sportsmen, 
artists,  and  naturalists,  as  well  as  those  interested  in  geographi- 
cal and  historical  studies. 

Brown  University, 
Providence,  R.  I. 


3 


CONTENTS. 


ClIAflKR  I. 

!I. 

III. 

IV. 

V. 
VI. 

VII. 

VIII. 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 
XII. 

XIII. 

XIV. 

XV. 

XVI. 

XVII. 


TiiK  Piiyshai.  (iEoukapiiv  of  Lahkaim.r. 
Who  F:ksi  .Saw  tiik  Lahkahok  Chasi  ? 
TiiK  Gi;(i(;kai'HI(ai.  Kvdi  r  ik.n  (i|.-  F.ahkaijdk. 

I.II-K  AM)  NaTIIRK  in  .So!    rilKRN  LAIIRADoR. 

Onf.  ok  Kim  V  Days  in  .Soc  i  iii:rn  Laiirador. 
.'\  Si  mmkr's  Criisk  lo  Nortiikrn  I-ahradok, 

I.   Frciin   Boston  to  Henley  Harbor.     . 
A  .Summkr's  Criisk  to  Norimkrn  Laiirador. 

IF.  From  Henley  Harbor  to  Cape  St.  Michael. 
A    Summkk's   Criisk   to   Northkrn  Lauuadok. 

III.  From  Cape  St.  Michael  to  Hopedale. 
A  SiMMKK's  Cruisk  to  Nortiikrn  LAitUAnoR. 

IV.  Hopedale  and  the  Eskimos. 
A  Si  MMKK's    Cruisk    to    Nortiikrn    Laiirador. 

V.  The  Return  Voyage  to  Boston. 
RkCKNT  E.XI'LORATIONS. 

TiiK  Civil,  History  ov  Laiirador,  with  a  Bkikk  Ac 

COUNT    OI-    ITS    FISIIERIKS.       . 

Tiik  Lahrador  Eskimos  an-d  tiikir  Formkr  Ra.\(;k 
Southward. 

TiiK  Gkolo(;v  ok  the  Lahrador  Coast. 

The  Zoology  ok  thk  Laiirador  Coast. 

The  Botany  ok  the  Lahrador  Coast. 

BIBI-IOCRAI'IIV     RKLATINV,    TO    THE    EaRLY    E.XIM.ORA- 

TioNs,  THE  Geography,  and  the  Civil  and  Nat- 
ural History  of  Lahrador.     , 


I' AGE 
I 

21 

do 

82 

')3 

I20 
140 

"<7 

2t)() 
22<) 

234 
279 

355 
448 

475 


^.1 


Ml 


CIIAITI-.K    I. 


rili:   PIIVSICAI.  CiKOCiRAIMIV   OF   l.AltKADOK. 


OuK  Um(>\v1((Ij;c  of  the  iiucrioi  of  tlic  J.al)rador  penin- 
sula is  still  so  sc.mtv,  owinj^  to  its  inaccessibility,  its  un- 
navigable  rivers,  the  -.hortness  of  the  summer  season,  and 
the  lack  of  jrame,  as  well  a«  the  enormous  numbers  of 
black  flies  and  inosnuitf  ts,  that  any  description  of  this 
country  must  long  lenain  imperfect.  The  only  scientific 
explorer  of  the  inteiior  is  Professor  llind,  who  ascended 
the  river  Moisie,  which,  however,  is  a  confluent  oi  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  is  in  fact  situated  only  near  the  borders 
of  Labrador,  m  the  province  of  Quebec.  None  of  the 
larger  rivers  of  Labrador  have  been  explored  to  near 
their  sources;  and  no  one  except  Indians  and  but  a 
single  employe  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  (Mr.  Mc- 
Lean) has  ever  crossed  any  considerable  portion  of  the 
interior.  And  yet  the  peninsula  is  well  watered  with 
streams,  rivers,  and  chains  of  lakes.  I  have  been  in- 
formed by  residents  that  the  Indians  of  the  interior,  pre- 
sumably the  Mountaineers,  can  travel  in  their  canoes 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Esquimaux  River,  which  empties 
into  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  across  the  country  to  the 
Hudson  Bay  posts  in  Hamilton  Inlet.  So  far  as  we 
have  been  able  to  gather  from  maps  and  the  accounts 
of  explorers,  such  as  McLean  and  Da  vies,  the  latter  of 
whom  published  an  account  of  the  Grand  or  Hamilton 


TUK    THYSICAL   (  ;K0(;KAI'I1V    ok    I.AIJKADOK. 


Riv".  r,  and  the  Moraviiiii  missionaries  Kohlnicistcr  and 
Knoch,  who  in  their  "Journal  of  a  Voyage  from  Ok- 
kak"  described  the  Koksoak  River  and  its  probable 
source,  as  well  as  from  our  own  scanty  observations 
taken  from  elevations  near  the  coast,  the  interior  of 
Labrador  is  thickly  studded  with  lakes,  somewhat  as  in 
the  Adirondack  region  of  New  York,  though  the  in- 
terior country  is  far  more  broken  and  mountainous. 

It  is  certainly  most  desirable  that  explorers  should 
penetrate  this  vast  and  unknown  wilderness,  however 
formidable  may  seem  the  barriers  to  travel.  These 
obstacles  would  be  the  rapids  and  water-falls,  the  long 
and  difficult  portages  or  carries,  and  the  unceasing 
plague  of  mosquitoes  and  black  flies.  But  the  annoy- 
ance from  insects  might  not  be  greater  than  that  en- 
countered by  explorers  in  Siberia,  or  by  trout  or  salmon 
fishermen  in  northern  New  England  and  Canada,  while 
the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  river  navigation  would 
not  compare  with  those  of  a  passage  through  the  Colo- 
rado River.  The  route  which  would  be  most  i)rolific 
in  results  would  be  to  ascend  the  Meshikumau  or  Es- 
quimaux River  from  its  mouth  near  Salmon  Bay,  in  the 
Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  to  its  source,  and  thence  to  connect 
with  the  probably  adjacent  source  of  Grand  or  Hamil- 
ton River  to  the  Hudson  Bay  post  at  Rigolet,  in 
Hamilton  or  Invuktoke  Inlet.  Another  jo'rney  which 
would  be  productive  of  good  geographical  results  would 
be  to  cross  the  peninsula  from  Prince  Rupert's  Land  by 
way  of  Rupert  River  and  Lake  Mistassini  to  Hamilton 
Inlet.  The  Koksoak  River  should  be  explored  to  its 
sources,  and  the  low,  flat,  wooded  region  of  the  East 
Main,    lying   between    Hudson   Bay  and  the  Labrador 


MAI'S    OF    rHK    I.AHKADOK    COAST. 


coasl-icgion,  should  be  adequately  mapped.  At  present, 
less  is  known  of  the  vast  region  between  liudson  Bay 
and  the  Atlantie  Ocean  than  of  perhaps  any  region  of 
similar  extent  in  North  Ameriea ;  although  the  results 
of  exploration  might  be  of  more  value  to  geographical 
and  geological  science  than  to  trade  and  commerce. 

Thanks  to  the  labors  of  the  Moravian  missionaries, 
we  now  have  a  much  better  knowledge  of  the  intricacies 
of  the  extreme  northern  coast  of  Labrador  than  is  af- 
forded by  the  charts  of  the  British  Admiralty  or  the 
United  States  Coast  Survey  ;  and  it  is  to  the  rare  op- 
portunity we  have  been  generously  afforded  by  the 
officers  of  the  Moravian  Society  in  London  and  Herrn- 
hul,  Saxony,  that  we  are  able  herewith  to  present  maps 
which  are  at  least  approximately  correct,  and  which 
must  for  a  longtime  to  come  be  the  only  source  of 
any  exact  knowledge  of  the  multitudinous  bays,  inlets, 
promontories,  and  islands  of  this  exceedingly  diversi- 
fied coast. 

The  first  special  map  of  Northern  Labrador  to  be 
l)ublished  was  that  by  the  Moravian  Brethren  Kohl- 
meister  and  Knoch.  It  comprised  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Labrador,  north  of  latitude  57°,  including 
Ungava  Bay,  and  appeared  in  1814. 

Previous  to  this,  Cartwright,  in  1792,  had  published 
a  map  of  Sandwich  Bay  and  adjacent  regions.  Then 
succeeded  the  general  chart  of  the  coast  published  by 
Admiral  Bayfield,  in  1827,  and  the  later  charts  of  the 
British  Admiralty. 

In  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  report  for  i860, 
besides  an  imperfect  outline  of  the  coast  given  in  Mr. 
Lieber's  geological  map  of  the   Labrador  coast,  there  is 


rv 


IlIK    I'HVSICAL   OKOGkAl'MV    OF    1,AJ5KAD0K. 


a  special  map  of  Ecli[)se  Harbor  surveyed  by  Ivieut.- 
Commanding'  A.  Murray,  United  States  Navy,  and 
drawn  to  a  scale  of  ^^~^,  with  the  soundings  indicated. 

About  the  year  1873  ('^i^  ^'^^e  is  not  given  on  the 
copy  of  the  maj)  wc  have  received)  appeared  a  map  of 
that  portion  of  the  coast  embracing  the  sites  of  the 
principal  Moravian  stations  and  lying  between  N.  lat. 
55'  and  59°.  It  was  prepared  by  L.  T.  Reichel  from 
the  sketches  made  In-  himself,  and  published  in  the  lack 
of  any  authentic  maps  of  the  coast.  For  a  copy  of  this 
and  the  map  of  Aivektok  or  Eskimo  Bay  we  are  in- 
debted to  the  officers  of  the  Society  in  Herrnhut,  Sax- 
ony. On  this  map  are  given  the  route  of  the  ship-chan- 
nel from  the  southward  to  Hopedale,  and  thence  to  the 
different  Moravian  stations  up  to  Hebron  ;  also  the 
overland  sledge-routes  between  Port  Manvers  and  Ok- 
kak,  and  the  latter  station  and  Hebron.  There  is  also 
an  attempt  to  give  in  a  general  way  the  elevation  of  the 
coast,  and  the  elevation  of  Kaumajet  Mt.  and  Mt.  Kig- 
lapeit  is  given  as  4,000  feet.  Scales  of  German  and  of 
English  miles  are  also  given. 

The  second  special  map  was  also  prepared  by  Rev.  L. 
T.  Reichel,  and  published  in  1873.  It  gives  what  is 
probably  by  far  the  most  authentic  map  of  Hamilton  In- 
let and  Aivektok,  or  Eskimo  Bay,  and  the  coast  north- 
ward, the  whole  area  mapped  being  comprised  between 
latitudes  53"^^  20'  and  56°  20' ;  it  is  of  special  value  in 
giving  a  capital  idea  of  the  intricate  fiord  structure  of 
the  coast,  and  also  a  census  of  the  white  and  Eskimo 
residents.  ^\ 

We  have  also  been  favored  by  B.  Latrobe,  Esq.,  Sec- 
retary of  the   Moravian  Missions  in    Londqn,  with  the 


:^ 


•t 


M 


M 


rHK    LAliKADOR    I'l.A  I  K AU. 


loan  of  a  MS.  map,  by  the  lau-  Rev.  Samuel  Weiz,  of 
the  coast  from  Hyron  Hay  in  latitude  54^  40'  around  to 
the  mouth  of  (nori»e  River  in  rnji^ava  Bay,  and  kindly 
allowed  to  copy  it. 

With  the  aid  of  the  new  maps  of  Messrs.  Reichel  and 
Weiz  we  have  heen  able  to  have  compiled  the  new  gen- 
eral map  of  the  Labrador  coast  herewith  presented  ;  the 
southern  portion  of  the  coast  being  reproduced  from  the 
British  Admiralty  and  U.  S.  Coast  Survey  charts,  as 
well  as  those  of  the  llyilrographic  Office,  V,  S.  Navy 
Department,  as  ft)llows  : 

No.  9. — River  and   Gulf  of   St.    Lawrence,  Newfound- 
land, Nova  Scotia,  and  the  banks  adjacent  ;  Sheet 
"^      I.  English  and  French  Surveys.      Published  March, 

1868. 
No.  731. — Anchorages  N.  E.  coast  of  Labrador,   Irom 

Br.  Surveys.      Published  Sept.,  1876. 
No.   809. — Coast    of   Labrador,    Cape    St.    Charles    to 
Sandwirh  Bay.      Br.  Surveys  to  1082. 

There  are  in  Lt.  Gordon's  Report  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Expedition  of  1885,  charts  of  the  Ottawa  Islands 
in  Hudson  Bay,  and  of  one  of  the  islands  at  Cape 
Chidlev. 

In  its  •2;eneral  features  the  peninsula  of  Labrador  i^  an 
oblong  mass  of  Laurentian  rocks  situated  between  the 
50th  and  62d  paralleL  of  north  latitude.  On  the  east- 
ern or  Atlantic  coast  it  rises  abruptly  from  the  ocean  as 
an  elevated  plateau,  forming  the  termination  of  the 
Laurentian  chain,  which  here  spreads  out  into  a  vast 
waste  of  hills  and  low  mountains.* 


*  Ttie  mountains  in  the  Quebec  Province  which  appear  in  the  accompanying 
map  are  hypothetical,  and  were  wronf?Iy  inserted  by  the  artist. 


THK    I'MYSrCAI,   CJEOCJkAl'HY    OF    I-AHKADOk. 


This  plateau  of  hills  and  mountains,  with  barren  table- 
lands, rises  abruptly  from  the  sea-level,  presenting  a  lofty 
but  stern  and  forbidding  front  to  the  ocean,  throughout 
the  whole  extent  of  i,ioo  miles  of  coast  from  the  Strait 
of  Belle  Isle  to  Cape  Wolstenholme. 

Motiiitains. — On  the  northern  shores  of  the  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle  the  general  elevation  of  the  coast  is  from  500 
to  800  feet,  and  the  highest  mountains  are  the  three 
Bradore  Hills,  which  are  respectively  1,135,  1.220,  and 
1,264  f^^'t  in  height.  From  Chateau  Bay  and  Ca[)e 
Charles  the  coast  rises  in  height  northwards,  until  at 
Square  Island  the  higher  elevations  form  mountains 
about  1,000  feet  high.  Going  farther  on,  the  Mealy 
Mountains,  said  to  rise  to  an  elevation  of  1,482  feet,  are 
seen  forming  a  range  extending  along  the  peninsula  situ- 
ated between  Sandwich  Bay  and  Eskimo  Bay,  with 
Hamilton    Inlet. 

Still  higher  is  Mt.  Misery,  which  we  suppose  to  l>e 
the  same  elevation  as  Mt.  Allagaigai,  a  noble  mountain 
mass  rising  to  an  altitude  of  2,170  feet,  forming  the 
summit  of  an  elevated  plateau  region  lying  half-way 
between  Cape  Harrison  and  Hopedale.  It  is  a  con- 
spicuous peak  seen  when  crossing  the  mouth  of  Ham- 
ilton Inlet,  and  we  well  remember  the  grandeur  of  its 
appearance  when  partly  wreathed  in  clouds,  which  left 
its  summit  so  exposed  as  to  make  it  look  much  higher 
than  in  reality. 

The  highest  elevations  in  Labrador  rise  from  the 
irregular  coast  range  between  latitude  57"  and  60°;  and 
judging  from  the  views  published  by  Dr.  Lieber  in  the 
U.  S.  Coast  Survey  report  for  i860,  and  by  Professor 
Bell  in  the  Report  of  the  Canadian  Geological  vSurvey. 


rilK    MOUNTAIN    KANCiES   OF    I,AI!RAl>OR. 


for  1884.  tlu-'  scfnery  of  this  part  of  the  country  is 
wonderfully  wild  and  grand,  rivalling  that  of  the  coast  of 
Norway,  and  of  the  coast  of  Greenland,  the  mountains 
being  about  as  high  as  in  those  regions.  According  to 
Prof.  Bell:  "After  i)assing  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  the 
Labrador  coast  continues  high  and  rugged,  and  although 
there  are  some  interruptions  to  the  general  rule,  the 
olevation  of  the  land  near  the  coast  may  be  said  to  in- 
crease gradually  in  going  northward,  until  within  seventy 
statute  miles  of  Cape  Chudleigh,  where  it  has  attained  a 
height  of  about  6,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Beyond  this 
it  again  diminishes  to  this  cape,  wher-  it  is  1,500  feet. 
From  what  I  have  seen  quoted  of  Labrador,  and  from 
what  1  have  been  able  to  learn  through  published  ac- 
counts from  the  Hudson  [3ay  Company's  officers  and 
the  natives,  and  also  judging  from  the  indications  af- 
forded by  the  courses  of  the  rivers  and  streams,  the 
highest  land  of  the  peninsula  lies  near  the  coast  all  along, 
constituting,  in  fact,  a  regular  range  of  mountains  parallel 
to  the  Atlantic  seaboard.  In  a  general  way,  this  range 
becomes  progressively  narrower  from  Hamilton  Inlet 
to  Cape  Chudleigh."  *  The  highest  mountains  in  Labra- 
dor were  previously  said  by  Messrs.  Kohlmeister  and 
Knoch  to  rise  from  a  chain  of  high  mountains  terminat- 
ing in  the  lofty  peaks  near  Aulezavik  Island  and  Cape 
Chidley.  One  of  the  smallest  of  these  mountains, 
Mount  Bache,  was  measured  in  i860  by  the  Eclipse 
Expedition  of  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey,  and  found  to  be 
2,150  feet  above  the  sea-level.  This  mountain  is  a 
gneiss  elevation,  and  a  sketch  on  the  geological  chart  by 

*  Observations  on  the  Geology,  etc.,  of  the  Labrador  Coast,  etc.,  Rep.  of 
•Geological  Survey  of  Canada,  1884,  p.  10  DD. 


8 


rnr.  i-iivsicai.  <;kograpiiv  of  i.ahradok. 


Mr.  Lieber,  the  geologist  of  the  expedition,  shows  it  t<» 
be  rounded  by  glacial  action,  while  lofty,  "  wild  volcanic- 
looking  mountains  form  a  water-shed  in  the  interior, 
whose  craggy  peaks  have  evidently  never  been  ground 
down  by  land-ice  into  domes  and  rounded  tops." 

While  the  highest  elevations  have  never  been  meas- 
ured, the  height  of  three  of  the  lesser  mountains  along 
this  part  of  the  coast  appears  to  have  been  roughly  as- 
certained. Professor  Bell  states  that  the  mountains  on: 
either  side  of  Nachvak  Inlet,  about  140  miles  south  of 
Cape  Chidley,  *' rise  fo  heights  of  from  1,500103,400 
feet,  but  a  few  miles  inland,  especially  on  the  south  side, 
they  appear  to  attain  an  altitude  of  5,000  to  6,000  feet, 
which  would  correspond  with  the  height  of  The  Four 
Peaks,  near  the  outer  coast  line,  about  midway  between 
Nachvak  and  Cape  Chudleigh."  The  mountains  ar(»und 
Nachvak,  he  adds,  "are  steep,  rough-sided,  peaked,  and 
serrated,  and  have  no  appearance  of  having  been  glaci- 
ated, excepting  close  to  the  sea-level."  These  mountains' 
are  formed  of  Laurentian  gneiss,  "  notwithstanding  their 
extraordinary  appearance,  so  different  from  the  smooth, 
solid,  and  more  or  less  rounded  outlines  of  the  hills 
composed  of  these  rocks  in  most  other  parts  of  the 
Dominion."  The  height  of  these  mountains  was  evi- 
dently roughly  estimated  from  that  of  an  escarpment  on 
the  south  side  of  the  inlet  at  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's 
port,  which  "rises  to  a  height  of  3,400  feet,  as  ascer- 
tained by  Commander  J.  G.  Bolton"  (p.  . 4  DD). 

According  to  the  British  Admiralty  chart  and  the 
Newfoundland  Pilot,  Cape  Chidley  rises  to  a  height 
of  1,500  feet  above  the  sea,  and  the  highest  point  of  the 
Button  Islands  has  an  equal  elevation  (Bell,  p.  17  DD). 


IHK    MOUNTAINS   OF   NORITIKKN    J  \MKAl)t)K. 


9 


Port  Burwcll  is  situated  on  the  island  of  which  Caj)c 
Chidley  is  the  northeastern  point.  This  island  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  mainland  by  McLelan's  Strait.  "  Nu- 
naingok  is  situated  on  an  alluvial  flat,  extending  between 
the  two  branches  of  the  strait.  The  hill  which  rises 
steeply  on  the  south  side  of  it  is  about  700  feet  high  ;  but 
farther  in,  between  the  branches  and  on  either  side  of 
them,  the  mountains  are  from  i,5CX)  to  2,500  feet  high, 
and  have  ragged  tops  and  sides"  (Bell,  p.  19  DFJ). 

In  his  report  for  1885  Professor  Bell  gives  no  additional 
measurements  of  mountains,  but  observes  :  "  The  moun- 
tains everywhere  in  this  vicinity  |  Nachvak  Inlet]  give 
evidence  of  long-continued. atmospheric  decay.  The  an- 
nual precipitation  at  the  present  time  is  not  great,  other- 
wise small  glaciers  would  probably  form  among  these 
mountains,  which  lie  between  latitudes  58"  and  60^,  and 
which  overlook  a  sea  bearing  field-ice  for  half  the  year,, 
and  from  v/hich  bergs  are  never  absent.  Patches  of  snow, 
however,  remain  throughout  the  summer  in  shaded  parts 
of  the  slopes  and  on  the  highest  summits,  which  range 
from  4,000  to  6,000  feet  above  the  ocean."  *  Raised 
beaches  were  observed  on  both  sides  of  Nachvak  Inlet. 

South  of  the  region  visited  by  Professor  Bell  are  the 
two  mountains  of  Kaumajet  and  Kiglapeit,  both  of  which 
are  put  at  an  elevation  of  4,000  feet  on  Rev  L.  T. 
Reichel's  map.  Of  these  the  former  constitutes  a  penin- 
sula, off  which  lies  the  island  of  which  Cape  Mugford  is 
the  eastern  promontory  ;  while  Kiglapeit  forms  the  great 
headland  lying  between  Nain  and  Okkak  in  latitude 
about  57°,  and  of  which  Port  Manvers  is  one  of  the  in- 
dentations. 


*Ann.  Rep.  Geol.  Surv.  Canada,  New  Ser.,  vol.  i.,  1885,  p.  8  DD,  1886. 


10 


IIIK    I'llVSICAI.    CKOdKAITIV    OF    I.AIikADOk. 


Prom  these  facts  it  will  he  seen  that  ahmg  this  part  of 
the  northern  coast,  mountains  as  high  as  the  Adirondacks, 
and  even  the  White  Mountains  of  New  Hampshire, 
plunge  directly  into  the  sea,  and  are  as  wild  and  suhlime 
as  the  coast  mountains  of  Norway  and  Greenland. 

Drainage  and  Rivers. — Of  the  water-sheds  and  water- 
systems  of  Labrador  our  knowledge  is  mostly  conjecture, 
on  account  of  the  lack  of  information  regarding  the  in- 
terior. In  none  of  the  charts  and  maps  are  the  rivers 
and  internal  lakes  accurately  represented,  and  there  is  the 
widest  discrepancy  between  the  different  maps. 

The  Labrador  plateau  has  an  area  of  about  420,000 
square  miles.  It  has  a  coast-line  of  about  1,100  miles, 
stretching  from  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  to  Cape  VVolsten- 
holme,  and  its  greatest  breadth  is  said  to  be  600  miles. 
It  lies  between  the  49th  and  63d  parallels  of  latitude, 
and  the  55th  and  79th  meridians.  Bounded  on  the  east 
by  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  on  the  north  and  west  by 
Hudson  Strait  and  Hudson  Bav,  its  southwestern  limits 
are  defined  by  the  Bersiamits,  Mistassini,  and  Rupert 
rivers.  The  broadest  and  in  general  highest  portion  of 
the  plateau  appears  to  be  in  the  southern  portion  of  the 
peninsula,  and  it  is  here  that  the  larger  rivers  appear  to 
take  their  rise. 

From  the  northern  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence and  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  the  Labrador  plateau  rises 
until  it  reaches  a  vast  table-land  or  water-shed  in  the  in- 
terior, the  edge  of  which  has  been  reached  by  Professor 
Hind  in  his  explorations  of  the  Moisie  River. 

This  elevated  region  is  thought  by  Professor  Hind  to 
attain  a  height  of  2,240  feet  above  the  sea-level.  Pro- 
fessor Hind  savs  of  the  table-land  from  which  the  river 


rill':  F.AiiuADok   iahlk-land. 


1 1 


Moisic,  and  also,  probably,  tlie  Esquimaux  as  well  as 
Hamilton  rivers  take  their  rise  :  "  It  is  pre-eminently 
sterile,  and  where  the  eountry  is  not  burned,  earibou 
moss  covers  the  rocks,  with  stunted  spruce,  birch,  and 
aspen  in  the  hollows  and  deep  ravines.  The  whole  of 
the  table-land  is  strewed  with  an  infinite  numbei  of  boul- 
ders, sometimes  three  and  four  deej) ;  these  sin<iular 
erratics  are  perched  on  the  summit  of  ever\  mountain 
and  hill,  often  on  the  edges  of  cliffs  ;  and  they  vary  in 
size  from  one  foot  to  twenty  in  diameter.  Language 
fails  to  depict  the  awful  desolation  of  the  table-land  of 
the  Labrador  peninsula."  This  table-land  or  water-shed 
is  probably  more  or  less  parallel  to  the  strait  of  Belle 
Isle,  and  situated  between  loo  and  150  miles  iidand. 
It  probably  terminates  to  the  northeast  in  the  Mealy 
Mountains.  Numerous  rivers  descend  the  steep  south- 
ern slope  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Of  these  the 
Moisie  and  Esquimaux  rivers  are  the  largest.  They  are 
supposed  to  arise  from  a  chain  of  lakes  on  the  summit 
of  the  water-shed,  which  also  gives  rise  to  the  Kenamou 
River. 

The  Moisie  River  forms  part  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River 
system.  It  is  250  miles  long,  and  flows  south,  empty- 
ing into  that  river  near  the  Bay  of  Seven  Islands,  at  a 
point  west  of  Anticosti  and  opposite  the  northern  shore 
■of  the  Gaspe  Peninsula.  From  this  point  the  streams 
running  into  the  Gulf  assume,  the  further  we  go  east,  a 
N.  W.  and  S.  E.  direction.  Such  is  that  of  the  Meshi- 
kumau  or  Esquimaux  River,  which  empties  into  the 
western  mouth  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  at  the  lower 
Caribou  Island.  This  stream  is  about  250  miles  long,  as 
I  learned  from  residents,  and  is  only  navigable  for  about 


(1 


12 


I  UK  I'livsiCAi.  <;ko(ji<apiiv  or  iahkadok. 


twelve  miles  from  its  mouth  by  ordinary  fishiny-hoat^. 
There  is  no  lar^e  river  between  this  and  Hamilton  River, 
which  flows  into  the  Atlantic  in  a  direction  a  little  north  of 
east.  The  latter  river  seems  to  flow  in  a  hssure  that  runs 
at  rij^ht  angles  to  the  line  of  upheaval  in  the  syenite  and 
traps  of  the  Atlantic  coast;  as  upon  the  Gulf  coast  ihe 
rivers  flow  from  liie  northwest  along  natural  fissures  ini 
the  earth's  crust  that  run  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of 
elevation  of  the  i.aurentian  chain  on  the  north  side  of 
the  St.  Lawrence.  In  this  connection  it  should  i)e  no- 
ticed that  the  hords  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Labratior 
assume  the  same  direction,  and  though  they  agree  much 
in  this  respect  with  the  direction  of  those  farther  souths 
there  is  a  yet  greater  west  and  east  course  as  we  go  north- 
ward toward  Cape  Chidley,  until  beyond  latitude  58' 
the  tiords  run  in  a  N.  VV.  and  S.  E.  direction,  especially 
on  the  Hudson  Bay  slojje.  According  to  Davies,  the 
Grand  or  Hamilton  River  is  supposed  to  rise  from  a 
chain  of  lakes  in  the  **  rear  of  the  Seven  Islands,  and 
flows  for  a  considerable  distance  on  the  top  of  the  ridge^ 
if  1  may  so  express  it,  between  the  head-waters  of  the 
rivers  falling  into  the  St.  Lawrence  and  those  falling 
into  the  Hudson  Bay  and  Strait,  for  they  are  said  by  the 
Indians  to  be  quite  close  to  the  waters  of  the  Grand 
River  on  either  side."  Our  author  also  states  that,  "  two- 
hundred  miles  from  its  mouth  it  forces  itself  through  a 
range  of  mountains  that  seems  to  border  the  table-land 
of  the  interior,  in  a  succession  of  tremendous  falls  and 
rapids  for  nearly  twenty  miles.  Above  these  fal.ls  the 
river  flows  with  a  very  smooth  and  even  current.'" 
McLean  in  1830  descended  the  river  from  the  now  aban- 
doned Fort  Nasquapee,  situated  on  Lake  Petchikapou, 


IHK    KIVKkS   ()|     lAHRADOK. 


13 


to  its  mouth,  lie  had  reached  the  fort  from  Ungava 
Bay.  Two  otiier  important  rivers  empty  int(»  Invuk- 
loke  Bay  :  the  Kcnamou,  wiiich  Hows  in  from  the  south, 
and  the  Nasquapee  or  Northwest  River,  which  is  a  iargei 
stream  with  a  very  circuitous  southeasterly  course. 

Professor  Hind  gives  us  the  fullest  information  as  to 
the  rives  of  this  region,  and  1  should  regard  his  map  as, 
in  this  '-''spect,  the  most  authentic  one  yet  published. 
The  situations  of  the  rivers  and  lakes  as  given  in  our 
map  are  copied  from  his,  with  the  exception  of  those  on 
ihe  Atlantic  coast  mapped  hy  Messrs.  Reichel  and 
Weiz.  Hind,  however,  strangely  ignores  the  Esqui- 
maux River,  which  empties  into  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle.* 
According  to  Hind,  whose  work  appeared  in  1863,  and 
who  obtained  his  information  from  employes  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company:  "The  couriers  of  the  Hudson 
Bay  Company  traverse  the  country  between  Musquano 
•(or  Natashquan)  and  Hamilton  Inlet  two  or  three  times 
every  year.  The  journey  can  be  made  in  fifteen  days 
in  canoes,  and  this  route  has  long  been  a  means  of  com- 
munication between  Hamilton  Inlet  and  the  Gulf.  The 
St.  Augustine  forms  the  great  canoe  route  of  the  Mon- 
tagnais  through  this  part  of  the  country.     .     .     .     The 


*  "The  Kenamou  River,  which  enters  Hamilton  Inlet  from  the  south,  cuts 
through  the  Mealy  Mountains  thirty  miles  from  the  coast ;  it  is  a  succession  of 
rapids,  and  scarcely  admits  of  navigation,  even  by  canoes.  The  Nasquapee  or 
Northwest  River  falls  into  the  inlet  on  the  north  side,  nearly  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Kenamou.  The  inlet  is  here  twelve  miles  across.  About  two 
miles  from  its  outlet  the  Nasquapee  River  passes  through  a  long  narrow  lake 
bordered  by  high  mountains.  It  takes  its  source  in  Lake  Meshikumau  (Great 
Lake),  and  the  river  itself,  according  to  Indian  custom,  is  called  by  the  Nas- 
quapees  Meshikumau  Shipu.  There  is  a  canoe  communication  between  this 
river  and  the  Ashwanipi,  which  is  shown  on  two  maps,  constructed  by  Montag- 
nais  Indians,  in  my  possession." — Hind's  "  Labrador."  ii.,  138.  '    ■ 


14 


riM.  I'UvsuM.  (;ko(;kai'IIV  ok  i-AIirador. 


Si.  Aiij^ustinc.  falling  into  a  fine  hay  of  the  same  naiiu*, 
has  lis  source  in  the  hikes  and  marshes  on  the  lal)le- 
hmd,  wliich  also  <rive  rise  lo  the  Kenamou,  which  fall< 
into  Hamilton  Inlel.  By  this  route  the  Montagnai^ 
can  journey  in  their  canoes  from  the  Gulf  of  Si.  I,aw- 
rence  lo  Flamillon  Inlet  in  seven  days." 

The  country  north  of  Hamilton  Inlet  is  thus  descriheil 
hy  one  of  ihe  Hudson  Bay  Comj)any's  ofTicers  (presum- 
ably Mr.  McLean)  who  was  sent  to  exjilore  it :  "  From 
Northwest  River  House  the  Nasijuapee  River  is  a;*- 
cended  for  about  sixty-five  miles,  when  it  is  left  at  Mont 
;\  Reine  Portage.  The  country  from  Mont  a  Reim- 
Portage  to  Little  Seal  Lake  is  as  barren  and  as  miser- 
able as  can  be  seen  anywhere;  the  trees  are  all  burnl, 
and  nothing  but  stones  and  dry  stumps  to  be  seen.  On 
the  ist  of  July,  1839,  the  ice  was  still  firm  on  Meshiku- 
mau  or  Great  Lake.  There  is  no  wood  to  build  on  the 
shores  of  that  extensive  sheet  of  water;  it  is  onlv  at 
Gull  Nest  Lake  that  wood  remains  in  that  direction. 
The  borders  of  Nasquapee  River,  when  the  expedition 
ascended  it  in  June,  were  still  lined  with  ice,  some  of  it 
ten  feet  thick."     (Hind.) 

vSouth  of  Hamilton  Inlet,  after  passing  the  first  range 
of  mountains  on  leaving  the  bay,  an  elevated  plateau  is 
gained,  says  Hind,  which  continues  until  the  shores  of 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  are  approached,  when  the 
country  becomes  more  mountainous  and  slopes  rapidly 
to  the  seaside.  The  breadth  of  the  plateau  is  100  miles, 
and  it  abounds  in  lakes. 

The  Atlantic  system  of  streams  to  the  north  is  one 
of  small  rivers  flowing  into  the  ocean  in  an  easterly 
course. 


f  < 


I  in:  nivkks  or  noriiikkn  i  \mr.m>ok. 


IJngava  hay  rcceivts  two  iniportanl  rivn^  which  im- 
perfect Iv  drain  the  northwestern  slope  nl  Western 
Labrador.  The  smaller  of  the  two  is  the  Kan<inthia- 
luksoak  or  Geor<(e  Kiver,  which  empties  into  the  hay  in 
lat.  3S '  57',  and  is  140  miles  loni".  its  water-shed  is 
said  by  Kohlmeister  and  Knoch  to  he  a  chain  of  hij^h 
mountains  which  terminates  in  the  lofty  |)eaks  of  syenite 
at  Aulezavik  Island  and  Cape  Chidley. 

The  two  Moravian  missionaries  mentioned  above  state 
in  addition  that  *'ihis  chain  of  mountains  may  be  seen 
from  the  Kan<j^utlualuksoak  Kiver.  in  Ungava  I3ay, 
which  is  collateral  |)roof  that  the  neck  of  land  termin- 
ated to  the  north  l)y  Cape  Chidley  is  of  no  «ireat 
width.  Both  the  Nain  and  Okak  Kscjuimaux  fre(|uently 
penetrate  far  (Miough  inland  to  fmd  the  rivers  taking  a 
westerly  cmuse,  consequently  tou'ards  the  Ungava  coun- 
try. They  even  now  and  then  have  reached  the  woods 
skirting  the  estuaries  of  George  and  South  rivers." 
These  missionaries  describe  the  Koksoak  or  South 
River  as  flowing  smoothly  through  a  low,  rocky  (prob- 
ably Silurian)  district,  and  emptying  into  Cngava  Hav 
in  lat.  58"  36'.  It  is  said  to  resemble  at  its  mouth  the 
Thames,  and  affords  anchorage  for  vessels  twentv-four 
miles  from  its  mouth.  This  stream  })robably  arises  near 
the  source  of  the  Grand  or  Hamilton  River,  and  Hows 
in  a  N.  N.  W.  direction,  probably  along  a  natural  fissure 
formed  by  the  juncture  of  the  Silurian  rocks  and  I.au- 
rentian  system.* 

.  *  Tills  river  is  said  to  liave  its  source  in  Lake  Caniapuscaw,  which  is  70  miles 
long  and  20  broad,  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  peninsula,  equidistant  from  the 
St.  Lawrence,  from  Ungava  and  Hamilton  Inlet,  being  350  miles  from  each  of 
those  points. 

"It  is  rapid  and  turbulent,  flowing  through  a  partially  wooded  couniry.     Ai 


i6 


THE    I'ilVSICAI,   (iEOGRAPHV    OI-    LABRADOR. 


At  the  western  political  boundary-line  between  Labra- 
dor and  Prince  Rupert's  Land,  according  to  recent  maps, 
we  find  apparently  another  water-shed,  which  on  the 
eastern  slope  sends  a  few  streams  into  the  Koksoak 
River,  while  on  its  western  slope  descend  several  streams 
which  flow  in  a  westerly  course  into  Hudson  and  James's 
bays. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  these  four  river  systems  take 
their  rise  from  a  great  water-shed  which  curves  in  a 
southwesterly  direction  from  Labrador  along  the  north- 
ern shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and  the  Great 
Lakes. 

Lakes. — The  following  remarks  are  taken  from  our 
memoir  on  the  "  Glacial  Phenomena  of  Labrador  and 
Maine."* 

Labrador  is  essentially  a  lake  district.  Its  numerous 
rivers  afford  a  very  imperfect  system  of  drainage  to  a 
country  densely  covere  \  with  lakes,  ponds,  and  pools, 
and  morasses  innumera^ile.  It  resembles  in  this  respect 
the  probable  aspect  of  the  Lake  or  Terrace  period  in 
New  England  and  Canada  after  the  Glacial  period,  when 


South  River  House  (now  abandoned)  it  receives  the  Washquah  River,  which 
forms  the  route  of  communication  between  Ungava  Bay  and  Hamilton  Inlet. 
From  this  point  to  the  sea  (150  miles)  the  current,  though  strong,  is  less  b.oken 
by  rapids"  il  also  widens  very  mi""h,  and  ninety  miles  from  its  mouth  it  is  a 
mile  in  breadth,  flowing  between  high  rocky  banks,  thinly  clothed  with  trees  ; 
it  is  nearly  a  league  in  width.  Fort  Chimo  is  situated  twenty-eight  miles  from 
the  sea."  George's  River  was  ascended  by  officers  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany to  establish  relations  with  the  Nascop6  Indians,  near  its  source.  For  220 
miles  it  was,  though  full  of  rapids,  deep  enough  for  barges.  "  The  general 
course  of  the  river  is  north,  running  parallel  to  the  coast  of  Labrador,  where  it 
is  at  no  time  more  than  100  miles  distant,  and  often  much  nearer."  (Hinrf.) 
We  may  expect  a  full  description  of  the  region  about  Fort  Chimo  when  Mr.  L. 
M.  Turner's  report  is  issued,  as  he  spent  two  years  at  this  station, 

*  Memoirs  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  i.,  210-303,  i866. 


LAIJRADOR   LAKES. 


>7 


the  present  broad  rivers  were  only  chains  of  lakes,  and 
may  thus  be  said  to  be  in  an  embryonic  stage,  as  its 
river-beds  have  never  been  remodelled  and  scooped  out 
into  gentle  declivities  and  broad  valleys,  nor  immense 
depths  of  sand  and  clay  deposited  to  smooth  over  the 
inequalities  of  the  rocky  surface  of  the  country,  such  as 
in  the  temperate  zone  render  a  continent  inhabitable 
throughout  its  breadth  ;  while  in  Labrador  man  can  only 
inhabit  the  coast,  and  gain  a  livelihood  from  the  sea. 

We  must  distinguish  two  classes  in  the  lakes  of  Labra- 
dor, viz.:  the  deep  mountain  /trr/zs,  lying  in  the  interior, 
directly  upon  the  summits  of  the  water-sheds  ;  and  the 
far  more  numerous  broad,  shallow  lakes  and  pools  spread 
|)rofusely  over  the  surface  below  the  height  of  land. 
These  last  occupy  shallow  depressions  and  hollows, 
most  probably  excavated  by  glaciers  in  valleys  which 
have  been  simply  remodelled  by  glacial  action.  The  deep 
tarns,  on  the  contrary,  evidently  fill  original  depressions, 
sinking  between  lofty  ranges  of  hills.  Davies  says  that 
in  the  region  about  the  source  of  the  Hamilton  River 
the  lakes  are  very  deep,  and  lie  directly  on  the  height  of 
land,  while  the  ponds  on  the  lowlands  are  shallow  ;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  those  which  directly  communicate 
with  the  ocean  or  with  the  fiords  are  in  general  distin- 
guished for  their  depth.  "  This  almost  universal  shal- 
lowness of  the  lakes  is  a  singular  feature,  when  the  nature 
of  their  borders  is  taken  into  consideration,  as  they  are 
generally  surrounded  by  hills,  which  would  lead  one  to 
look  for  a  corresponding  depth  in  the  lake  ;  but  instead 
of  this  some  are  so  shallow  that  for  miles  there  is  hardly 
water  enough  to  float  a  half-loaded  canoe.  I  am  in- 
formed  l)y  my  friend,  John   McLean,  Esq.,  that  this  is 


:     I 


IS 


THE  i^MvsiCAi,  (;b:o(;raphv  of  labkadok. 


likewise  tlie  case  with  the  lakes  lying  on  the  water-shed 
of  Ungava  Bay.  The  lakes  lying  on  the  table-land  are 
said  to  he  deep."  He  also  states  that  the  large  lakes  in 
the  interior  are  well  stocked  with  fish,  while  the  shallow 
lakes,  and,  in  fact,  the  deep  ones  communicating  with 
the  ocean,  are  in  general  very  destitute  of  them. 

We  must  believe  that  the  same  causes  that  produce 
the  deep  fiords  likewise  account  for  these  deep  fissures 
and  depressions  in  the  summit  of  the  water-sheds.  It  is 
evident  that  any  amount  of  glacial  action,  however  long 
sustained  and  vast  in  its  operation,  can  never  account  for 
these  rude,  irregular,  often  "  geoclinal,"  troughs  which 
follow  lines  of  fracture  and  faults,  lying  along  the  axis  ot 
elevation  of  mountain  chains,  or  at  nearly  right  angles  to 
them. 

Fiords. — The  fiords  on  the  Labrador  coast  are  of  great 
extent  and  depth.  They  are  either  original  lines  of  frac- 
ture and  faults,  or  what  Professor  Dana  terms  z^oclinal 
troughs,  occurring  at  the  line  of  juncture  of  two  rock 
formations.  Thus,  Chateau  Bay  is  a  fissure  at  least 
1,200  feet  in  depth.  The  western  shore  rises  600  feet 
above  the  sea-level,  and  the  waters  of  the  bay  at  their 
deepest  are  600  feet  in  depth.  This  fault  must  have 
been  produced  at  the  time  of  the  upheaval  of  the  syenites 
of  the  coast. 

All  the  broad,  deep  bays  and  fiords  on  the  Atlantic 
Ocean  occur  at  the  juncture  of  the  syenites  and  gneiss. 
There  are  deep  bays  between  Cape  St.  Lewis  and  Cape 
St.  Michael's,  where  syenites  rise  through  the  gneiss, 
producing  faults  and  lines  of  dislocation.  The  large 
bay  just  north  of  Cape  St.  Michael's  occurs  at  the  junc- 
tion of  gneiss  and   "  hyperite "   rocks.     Sandwich    Bay 


"TO 


'1 


;k 


s, 
e 


0 


<;laciai    i.akks. 


19 


ami  Hamilton  Inlrl  were  forincd  by  the  denudation  ot 
the  Domino  <^neiss.  Despair  Mai  hoi  is  a  deep  liord  oc- 
curring at  the  juncture  of  the  "  Aule/avik  |L»neiss  "  ot" 
Lieher,  with  syenitic  rocks  formin<»  the  coast-line  between 
this  point  and  Hopedale.  The  irregular  overtlows  of 
*„ap  and  syenitic  rocks  which  enclose  the  gneiss  rocks, 
produce  an  immense  number  of  cross  tiords  and  channels, 
from  the  presence  of  innumerable  islands  which  line  the 
coast,  and  an-  composed  of  these  eruptive  rocks. 

These  original  fissures  and  depressions  have  been 
modified  by  glaciers,  by  frost  and  shore-ice  and  icebergs, 
and  by  the  waves  of  the  sea. 

The  shallow  lakes,  formed  most  probably  by  glaciers, 
lie  in  shallow  troughs,  upon  a  thin  bed  of  gravel  and 
boulders.  We  only  learn  in  some  regions,  especially  in 
-Southern  I.abrador,  that  the  country  has  been  covered 
with  boulders  by  their  presence  on  the  banks  and  in  the 
centre  of  these  pools.  Clear  examples  of  lakes  partially 
surrounded  by  walls  of  rock,  with  the  banks  at  one  end 
completed  by  a  barrier  of  sand  and  gravel,  are  frequent. 
Such  barriers  of  drift  have  lost  entirely  their  resemblance 
to  glacial  moraines,  to  which  they  undoubtedly  owe  their 
origin,  since  the  drift  deposits  have  been  remodelled 
into  sea  beaches  composed  of  very  coarse  gravel  and 
boulders,  while  the  finer  materials  have  been  swept  away 
by  the  powerful  "  Labrador  current,"  with  its  burden  of 
icebergs  and  floe-ice  that  has  so  effectually  removed 
traces  of  the  former  presence  of  what  we  must  believe 
to  have  been  extensive  glaciers. 

From  all  that  has  been  published,  it  would  seem  that 
the  entire  interior  of  the  Labrador  peninsula  is  strewn 
with  boulders,  having  once  been  covered  with  land-ice, 


I 


20 


THE  PHYSICAL  GEOGRAPHY  OF  LABRADOR. 


which  flowed  into  the  Atlantic  on  the  east  and  souths 
and  Hudson  Bay  on  the  west  and  north.  The  forest 
growths  sometimes  clothe  the  lower  hills,  but  in  general 
are  confined  to  the  protected  river-valleys  and  lake 
basins. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  at  no  distant  day  some  skilled 
explorer,  with  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  geology,  may 
thread  the  interior  of  the  peninsula  from  Ungava  to 
Hamilton  Inlet,  passing  thence  by  the  Esquimaux  River 
to  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle.  The  region  from  the  head- 
waters of  the  Hamilton  River  to  Hudson  Bay  should 
also  be  traversed,  and  when  this  is  done  we  shall  be  pro- 
vided with  a  knowledge  of  this  vast,  shadowy,  gloomy, 
forbidding  region,  of  which  we  now  apparently  know 
less  than  of  the  interior  of  Alaska,  the  tundras  of  Siberia,, 
or  the  plateaus  of  Central  Africa. 


t       > 

I! 


h 


.* 
:,i'* 


CHAPIER  f[. 


WHO   FIRST  SAW  THE  LABRADOR  COAST? 


Those  rovers  of  the  northern  seas,  the  Norsemen, 
pushing  out  from  the  fiords  of  Greenland  in  their  one- 
masted  craft,  no  larger  than  our  coasters  or  n  ickerel 
boats,  without  doubt  sighted  and  coasted  along  "  the 
Labrador,"  nearly  five  centuries  before  John  Cabot  made 
his  first  landfall  of  the  American  Continent. 

The  Labrador  coast  was  not,  however,  the  first  Ameri- 
can land  visited  by  the  Norsemen.""' 

Kohl  states  that  New  England  was  first  discovered 
by  Biarne,  in  990.  It  appears  that  Heriulf,  one  of  the 
•earliest  colonists  of  Greenland,  had  a  son,  Biarne,  "  v/ho, 
at  the  time  his  father  went  over  from  Iceland  to  Green- 
land, had  been  absent  on  a  trading  voyage  in  Norway. 
Returning  to  Iceland  in  990,  and  finding  that  his  father, 
with  Eric  the  Red,  had  gone  to  the  west,  he  resolved 
to  follow  him  and  to  spend  the  next  winter  with  him  in 
Greenland. 

"  They  boldly  set  sail  to  the  southwest,  but  having 


*  We  should  acknowledge  that,  not  having  access  to  the  primitive  sources  in 
which  the  voyages  of  the  Norsemen  to  the  American  shores  are  described,  we 
have  placed  our  dependence  on  the  account  given  by  a  learned  German  geogra- 
pher, J.  G.  Kohl,  in  his  History  of  the  Discovery  of  Maine,  as  the  most  authori- 
tative exposition  of  early  voyages  and  discoveries  in  northwestern  America. 
Kohl's  views  are  based  on  Rafn's  Antiquitates  Americanse.  (Documentary 
History  of  the  State  of  Maine.  Collections  of  the  Maine  Historical  Society. 
/Second  Series,  Vol.  r.     1869).  • 

21 


I  I 


ti 


22 


WHO    FIRST   SAW     THE   LABRADOR   COAST? 


encountered  northerly  storms,  after  many  days'  sail  they 
lost  their  course,  and  when  the  weather  cleared,  they  de- 
scried land,  not,  however,  like  that  described  to  them  as 
*  Greenland.'  They  saw  that  it  was  a  much  more  south- 
ern land,  and  covered  with  forest*;.  It  not  being  the 
intention  of  Biarne  to  explore  new  countries,  but  only  to 
find  the  residence  of  his  father  in  Greenland,  he  im- 
proved a  southwest  wind,  and  turned  to  the  northeast, 
and  put  himself  on  the  track  for  Greenland.  After  sev- 
eral days*  sailing,  during  which  he  discovered  and  sailed 
by  other  well-wooded  lands  lying  on  his  left,  some  high 
and  mountainous  and  bordered  by  icebergs,  he  reached 
Heriulfsnas,  the  residence  of  his  father,  in  Greenland. 
His  return  passage  occupied  nine  days,  and  he  speaks  of 
three  distinct  tracts  of  land,  along  which  he  coasted,  one 
of  which  he  supposed  to  have  been  a  large  island." 

So  much  for  the  facts  taken  from  the  Norse  records 
and  sagas.  Dr.  Kohl  then  goes  on  to  say  :  "  That  Biarne, 
on  this  voyage,  must  have  seen  some  part  of  the  Ameri- 
can east  coast  is  clear  from  his  having  been  driven  that 
way  from  Iceland  by  northerly  gales.  We  cannot  de- 
termine with  any  certainty  what  part  of  our  coast  he 
sighted,  and  what  was  the  southern  extent  of  his  cruise. 
But  taking  into  consideration  all  circumstances  and  state- 
ments of  the  report,  it  appears  probable  that  it  was  part 
of  the  coast  of  New  England,  and  perhaps  Cape  Cod, 
which  stands  far  out  to  the  east.  One  day  and  night's 
sailing  with  a  favorable  wind,  was,  in  Iceland  and  Nor- 
way, reckoned  to  be  about  the  distance  of  thirty  German 
miles.  Two  days  and  '  nights,'  therefore,  would  be  sixty 
German  miles,  and  this  is  about  the  distance  from  Cap& 
Cod  in  New  England  to  Cape  Sable  in  Nova  Scotia." 


IMAKNK'S    LANI3FAI.I.. 


23 


That  the  land  tifst  seen  by  Biarne  was  necessarily  so 
far  south  as  Cape  Cod  does  not,  we  would  venture  lo 
submit,  follow  from  the  facts  we  have  quoted.  Is  it  not 
more  probable  that  the  country  was  some  portion  of 
Nova  Scotia,  a  land  as  much  "covered  with  forests"  :is 
New  England  ? 

But  Dr.  Kohl  maintains  that  the  second  land  which 
was  "well-wooded"  was  Nova  Scotia.  In  his  own 
wt)rds  : 

"The  second  country  seen  by  Biarne  musi.  then, 
probably  have  been  Nova  Scotia.  The  distance  from 
Nova  Scotia  to  Newfoundland  is  about  three  days'  sail ; 
and  from  Newfoundland  to  the  southern  part  of  Green- 
land, a  Northman  navi<>ator,  with  fresh  breezes,  might 
easily  sail  in  four  days,  and  thus  Newfoundland  was 
probably  the  third  count r\  discovered  bv  Biarne." 

We  should  not  have  the  hardihood  to  criticise  Dr. 
Kohl's  statements  and  conclusions,  if  we  had  not  made 
two  voyages  to  Labrador,  in  which  we  sailed  from  Cape 
Cod  to  Nova  vScotia,  skirted  that  coast,  approached 
within  a  mile  of  Cape  Ray,  Newfoundland,  and  spent  a 
summer  on  the  northern  shores  of  Belle  Isle,  opposite 
Newfoundland  ;  and  a  second  summer  in  coasting  Lab- 
rador ns  far  north  as  Hopedale.  Henc'e  the  general 
appearances  of  the  Nova  Scotian,  Newfoundland,  and 
l^abrador  coasts  arc,  though  in  a  slight  degree,  to  be 
sure,  known  to  us. 

The  records  state  that  the  southernmost  land  seen  by 
Biarne  was  *'  covered  by  forests ;"  this  would  apply  to 
Nova  Scotia  as  well  as  to  the  coast  of  Massachusetts.  It 
is  then  said  that  without  landing,  improving  a  southwest 
wind    and  steering  northeast,   "he  put   himself  on  the 


I 


24 


WHO    FlUSr   SAW    TlIK    I.AItUAhOK    COAST? 


track  for  Greenland."  This  would  l)e  the  course  from 
Cape  Cod  to  Nova  Scotia,  it  is  true,  but  such  a  course 
would  also  take  him  from  the  eastern  end  of  Nova  Scotia 
to  Cape  Race,  Newfoundland,  while  from  the  present 
position  of  St.  John's  the  course  to  the  site  of  tht;  Green- 
land Norse  settlements  is  a  northerly  one. 

As  Kohl  states,  the  distance  from  Nova  Scotia  to 
Newfoundland  is  about  three  days'  sail  ;  but  the  wind 
would  have  to  be  stion^  and  fair  all  the  time,  for  the 
distance  from  Halifax  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland,  is 
about  530  miles.  A  Vikino's  ship  was  by  no  means  a 
modern  cutter  either  in  her  lines  or  rig.  T  have  seen  in 
the  Sogne  fiord  a  vessel  of  forty  or  fifty  tons,  her  hull 
clumsy  and  broad,  with  her  single  mast  pla-"  d  mid- 
ships and  carrying  a  square  sail;  her  stern  rr,  r  high, 
and  her  prow  rising  five  or  six  feet  above  the  bows.  A 
Norwegian  friend  observed  to  me  at  the  time,  "  There," 
said  he,  "  hang  the  gunwale  of  that  vessel  with  shields 
and  fill  her  with  armed  men,  and  you  would  havea  Vik- 
'  ing's  ship  !"  We  doubt  whether  Biarne's  craft  could 
have  made  in  "  one  day  and  night's  sailing  with  a  favor- 
able wind,"  more  than  138  statute  miles,  or  thirty  Ger- 
man miles.  At  such  a  rate  it  would  take  from  i\vv.  to 
six  days  to  go  from  Halifax  to.  St.  John's,  Newfound- 
land. The  passage  by  a  swift  ocean  steamer  of  the 
Allan  Line  requires  from  forty-two  to  forty-eight  hours. 

Passing  by  Newfoundland,  which  is  well-wooded,  ex- 
cept on  the  more  exposed  northeastern  coast,  Biarne, 
sailing  by  a  land  "  said  to  be  high  and  niountainous,  and 
bordered  by  icebergs,  reached  Heriulfsnas."  This  land 
could  have  been  none  other  than  the  Labrador  coast 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  northward. 


niAKNKS    RKTUkN   VOYAGF. 


2S 


If  Hiai lie's  return  passage  occupied  only  nine  days, 
Ifie  could  not  possibly  have  sailed  from  Cape  Cod  to 
Greenland  in  that  time.  A  nine  days'  trip  from  Boston 
to  the  Labrador  coast  at  the  mouth  of  the  Strait  of  Belle 
Isle  is  a  remarkably  short  one  for  an  ordinary  fishing- 
schooner. 

The  distance  from  Boston  to  the  Greenland  coast  a 
little  north  of  Cape  Farewell,  where  the  southernmost 
Norse  settlements  were  made,  is  about  2,300  miles. 
The  southern  coast  of  Labrador  is  about  half-way.  The 
exact  sailing  distance  from  Thomaston,  Maine,  to 
Caribou  Island,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  Labrador,  is  910 
miles. 

The  "Nautilus,"  the  vessel  in  which  I  first  sailed  to 
Labrador,  was  a  staunch  schooner  of  140  tons.  She 
sailed  from  Thomaston,  Maine,  June  27.  and  passing 
around  Cape  Breton,  reached  Caribou  Island  in  ten 
days*  (July  7th)  :  after  leaving  our  party  on  the  Labra- 
dor coast,  she  set  sail  for  Greenland  July  9th,  over  nearly 
the  same  route  as  the  Norsemen  must  have  taken. 
From  Captain  Ranlett  of  the  *'  Nautilus,"  I  learn  that 
he  first  sighted  land  on  the  coast  of  Greenland  on  the 
17th,  in  lat.  62""  58',  and  long.  52°  05'.  The  land  next 
seen  was  about  lat.  63°  10,  long.  50°  45'.  This  is  about 
fifty  miles  south  of  Fiskernaes,  and  25  miles  north  of 
Frederickshaab.  The  voyage  to  Greenland  was  thus 
made  in  about  nine  days,  as  the  vessel  did  not  reach 
land  before  the  i8th.  The  return  voyage  from  God- 
ihaab  to  Bonne  Esperance,  Labrador  (three  miles  west 
from  Caribou  Island),  was  made  in  twelve  days.     The 

*  Rev.  C.  C.  Carpenter  writes  me  that  he  sailed  in  a  fishing-smack  from  Cari- 
bou Island  Oct.  3d,  and  made  the  shores  of  Maine  on  the  13th, 


)  '■ 


ii 


a6 


WHO    MKST   SAW     IIIK    LAHKADOK    COAST.'' 


,"  Nautilus"  lefl  Godthaab  Auj;'.  131!),  and  ciUcrcd  ihe 
Strait  of  Hellc  Isii-  Aug.  24tli,  anchoring  at  lionnt 
Esperancc  Aug.  25111.  Then  sailing  from  Bonne  Espe- 
rance  Aug.  26th,  (nvingto  calms  and  a  storm  she  did  not 
reach  Thomaston  until  September  1  itii,  a  period  of  about 
fifteen  days.  It  thus  appears  that  the  voyage  from  th< 
mouth  of  the  Penobscot  River,  Maine,  to  soulliern 
Greenland,  through  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  a  shorten 
route  than  that  of  the  Northmen  east  of  Newfoundland, 
took  nineteen  days,  not  including  the  detention  on  the 
Labrador  coast,  while  the  return  voyage  from  southern 
Greenland  to  Maine  required  27  days. 

In  1864  my  second  trip  to  the  Labrador  coast  was 
made  in  a  VVelllieet  oysterman,  a  schooner  of  about  140 
tons,  built  for  speed,  with  long  spars  and  large  sails, 
vShe  was  probably  the  fastest  vissel  which  ever  visited 
the  Labrador  coast.  The  voyage  from  Boston  to- 
Mecatina  Island  on  the  Labrador  coast,  through  the 
Gut  of  Canso,  was  made  in  seven  days  ;  it  was  piobably 
the  quickest  voyage  from  Massachusetts  to  Labrador 
ever  made.  We  ran  from  Provincetown  to  Port  Mul- 
grave  in  the  Gut  of  Canso  in  just  forty-eight  hours. 
The  return  trip  from  Caribou  Island  to  Boston,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  nine  hundred  miles,  was  made  in  nine 
days.  The  average  was  therefore  just  a  hundred  miles 
a  day.  How  could  a  Norseman's  cluiDsy  craft  of  forty 
or  fifty  tons,  with  but  a  mainsail  and  a  jib,  outdo  such 
sailing  as  that  ? 

The  Norse  record  says  that  Biarne's  *' return  passage 
©ccupied  nine  days,"  and  Kohl  adds  that  "  from  New- 
foundland to  the  southern  part  of  Greenland  a  North- 
man navigator,  with   fresh  breezes,   might  easily  s;iil  in 


HKI.I.Ll.AND   THK    MODKKN    LAHUADOK. 


27 


four  days.  Hut  wc  have  seen  that  with  frtsh  breezes  a 
modern  schooner,  at  least  three  times  as  large  as  a 
Viking's  ship,  reijuired  eight  or  nine  days  to  run  from  a 
|)oint  but  a  few  miles  from  northern  Newfoundland,  i.e.y 
Belle  Isle,  to  southern  Greenland.  The  distance  from 
vSt.  John's,  Newfoundland,  to  the  Norsemen's  colonies  in 
southern  Greenland  is  not  less  than  1,500  miles.  To 
perform  a  voyage  of  liiis  length  in  four  days  would  be 
an  impossibility  for  a  modern  yacht.  It  is  not  impossible, 
however,  that  Biarne  sailed  from  scjuthern  Newfound- 
land to  Greenland  in  a  period  of  about  nine  days.  But  a 
voyage  from  Cape  Cod  to  Greenland  by  an  ordinary 
schooner  rec^uires  at  least  three  weeks,  or  from  twenty 
to  thirty  days  at  tlie  most. 

Instead  then  of  accepting  Kohl's  summary  of  Biarne's 
voyage  stated  on  p.  63  of  his  work,  wi'  should  be  in- 
clined to  believe,  as  the  results  of  the  expedition,  that 
Biarne  was  the  first  European  to  sigiu  the  coast  of 
Newfoundland,  possibly  the  eastern  extremity  of  Nova 
Scotia,  while  he  also  saw  the  mountainous,  desolate,  tree- 
less, rocky  coast  of  Labrador. 

The  next  Norse  adventurer,  Leif.  the  son  of  Erik, 
not  only  sighted  the  Labrador  coast  but  landed  on  it. 
To  this  country  he  gave  the  name  of  stony  land,  or 
"  Helluland,"  a  nairjc  perpetuated  in  an  Iceland  map  of 
'570  Iw  Sigurd  Stephanius. 

The  records  tell  us  that  Leif,  the  son  of  Erik  the 
Red,  the  first  settler  in  Greenland,  having  bought 
Biarne's  ship  in  the  year  1000,  manned  her  with  a  crew 
of  thirty-five  men,  among  whom  was  Biarne  himself,  and 
followed  Biarne's  track  towards  the  southwest.  Kohl 
then  says:  "They  came  first  to  that  land  which   Biarne 


38 


VVnO    IIRSr   saw     IIIK    I.AIlRADOk   COAST? 


}i;i(l  last  seen,  whicli,  as  I  have-  said,  was  |>i<)l)al)ly  (»m 
Ncwfoimdlaiid.  Wcvc  tlicy  cast  anchor  and  went  on 
shoir,  for  their  voyage  was  not  the  search  of  a  son  after 
his  father,  l)Ut  a  decided  exploriiig  exjK'dition.  They 
found  the  country  as  Biarne  had  descril)ed  il.  full  of  ice 
mountains,  desolate,  and  its  shores  covered  with  large 
flat  stones.  I^-'if.  therefore,  called  it  'llelluland'  (the 
stony  land )," 

Here  again  we  should  dilfei  Iroin  Kohl  as  to  Leif's 
lirst  landfall.  A  southwest  course  would  naturallv  carry 
hini  to  the  Lahrador  coa^t,  while  the  description — "full 
of  ice  mountains,  desolate,  aiul  its  shores  covered  with 
large  Hat  stones" — well  describes  the  harren,  rock-l)ound, 
treeless  coast  of  Labrador,  in  distinction  from  the  much 
lower,  wooded  coast  of  Newfoundland.  Moreover,  vSt. 
John's,  Newfoundland,  lies  nearly  due  south  of  the 
southern  extremity  of  Greenland. 

While  it  is  to  be  doubted  whether  Biarne  ever  went 
south  of  Newfoundland,  we  see  no  reason  for  dis- 
believing the  conclusions  of  Rafn  and  Kohl,  that  the 
followers  of  Biarne,  Thorvvald  and  Thorfmn  Karlsefne, 
became  familiar  with  Cape  Cod  and  wintered  at  Vin- 
land.  There  is  no  reasonable  doubt  but  that  they  landed 
on  Nova  Scotia  ;  <^here  is  no  reason  to  disbelieve  the 
records  which  stat..'  that  they  wintered  farther  west 
where  no  snow  (cil,  so  that  the  cattle  found  their  food  in 
the  open  fields,  and  wild  grapes  were  abundant,  as  they 
certainly  are  in  Rhode  Island  and  southern  Massa- 
chusetts, as  compared  with  Maine  or  Nova  Scotia.* 

Without  reasonable  doubt,  then,  Helluland  of  the 
Norse  and  Icelandic  records  is  Labrador,  though  it  is 
not  impossible  that  the  bare  and  rocky  coast  of  north- 


i   ' 


IIKI.IAJLANI)    rilK    MODKRN    lAlJkADOH. 


29 


eastern  Newfouiulland  was  hv  some  rc«j[ar(lr(l  as  Hellu- 
land.  It  would  l)e  easy  for  a  vcsscrl  in  those  days  to 
pass  by  vvithoul  sceinij  the  openinj^  inlo  the  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle,  and,  owin^  to  the  somewhat  similar  scenie 
features  of  the  two  lands,  to  eonfoimd  the  northeastern 
extremity  of  Newfoundland  with  Lahradcn'. 

That,  as  some  have  elaimed,  the  Norsemen  ever 
sailed  throuij^h  the  Strait  of  IJellc  Isle,  eoasti'd  aloniLi 
Southern  Lahradoi  and  wintered  at  the  mouth  of  thi- 
river  St.  Lawrenee,  is  eeitainly  not  supported  i)y  thi 
(;arly  Norsi-  reeords  as  interpreted  hy  Kohl. 

Their  x-essels  sailed  to  the  seaward  of  Newfoundland. 
That  thev  did  not  feel  drawn  to  sojourn  in  Ilelluland 
is  no  wonder.  Its  eoast  presented  no  more  attraetion^ 
than  Greenland,  while  the  jj^rapes,  food,  and  furs,  with 
the  verdure  and  mild  winter  climate  of  "Vinland  the 
Good,"  led  to  one  exj)edition  after  another,  as  late  per- 
haps as  1347,  when,  according  to  the  Icelandic  annals, 
'*  a  vessel,  having  a  crew  of  seventeen  men,  sailed  from 
Iceland  to  Markland." 

Then  came  the  decadence  of  Norse  energy  and  sea- 
manship, succeeded  by  the  failure  of  the  Greenland  col- 
onies, which  were  overpowered  and  extinguished  by  the 
b^skimo.  A  dense  curtain  of  oblivion  thicker  and  more 
impenetrable  than  the  fogs  which  still  wrap  the  regions 
of  the  north,  fell  upon  these  hyperborean  lands,  until,  in 
1497,  the  veil  was  again  withdrawn  by  an  English 
hand.* 

Since  the  foregoing  remarks  were  sent  to  the  printer, 


!•: 


*Tlie  voyage  of  Szkolney,  the  Pole,  to  the  coasts  of  Greenland  and  Labrador, 
is  stated  to  have  been  performed  in  1476.  See  Humboldt,  Kxamen  Critique, 
ii,  p.  152.    (N.  A.  Review,  July,  1838,  179.) 


f  J 


.iO 


\VH(»    MKSl     SAW    THK    I.A15KADOK    COAST? 


1:  ' 


Prof.  E.  N.-Horsford's  address  at  the  unveiling  of  the 
statue  of  Leif  Erikscn  lias  appeared.  He  also  adopts 
the  general  opinion  that  Ilelluland  was  Newfoundland, 
hut  the  langfuaoe  of  these  extracts  convinces  us  still 
more  that  Helluland  was  Labrador. 

In  the  first  translation  printed  by  Prof.  Ilorsford  of  the 
Saga  of  Erik  the  Red,  it  is  stated  in  the  account  of  the 
expedition  of  Biarne,  that  after  leaving  Iceland  bound 
for  Greenland,  he  missed  that  country  and  was  "borne 
before  the  wind  for  many  days,  they  knew  not  whither," 
linally  approaching  land  which  "was  not  mountainous. 
i)ut  covered  with  wood,"  with  rising  ground  in  many 
j»arts.  Then  sailing  two  days,  and  putting  the  ship 
about,  leaving  the  land  on  the  left  side,  he  saw  land 
again,  "  low  and  level,  and  overgrown  with  wood." 
This  land  was  probably  Newfoundland,  perhaps  the 
southern  or  eastern  part.  We  would,  however,  contend 
that  the  next  or  third  land  which  Biarne  saw  was  Lab- 
rador, for  the  Saga  reads  :  "  At  length  they  hoisted 
sail,  and  turning  their  prow  from  land,  they  stood  out 
again  to  sea  ;  and  having  sailed  three  days  with  a  south- 
west wind,  they  saw  land  the  third  time."  This  land 
was  high  and  mountainous,  and  covered  with  ice.  They 
asked  Biarne  whether  he  wished  to  land  here.  He  said, 
"No;  for  this  land  appears  to  me  little  inviting." 
Without  relaxing  sail,  therefore,  they  coasted  along  the 
shore  till  they  perceived  that  this  was  an  island.  They 
then  put  the  ship  about,  with  the  stern  towards  land, 
and  stood  out  again  to  sea  with  the  same  wind,  which 
blowing  up  very  strong,  Biarne  desired  his  men  to  shorten 
sail,  forbidding  them  to  carry  more  sail  than  with  such  a 
heavy    wind    would    be   safe.     "  When    they   had   thus 


i 

1 


HELI.UI  AND    THK    MODERN    [..VHRADOU. 


31 


sailed  four  days,  they  saw  land  the  lourth  time."  To- 
wards evening  they  reached  the  very  promontory  not  far 
north  of  Cape  Farewell  where  Heriulf,  the  father  of 
Biarne,  dwelt. 

The  hiirh,  mountainous  land.  :overed  with,  ice,  was 
probably  Labrador  near  Cape  Harrison,  or  along'  the 
^.oast  to  the  northward,  and  a  Norseman's  vessel,  with  a 
strong-,  fair  wind,  could  probably  sail  from  that  part  of  the 
Labrador  coast  to  near  Cape  Farewell,  a  distance  of  a 
little  over  600  miles,  in  four  days,  allov/ing  that  a  Vik- 
ing's ship  of  about  60  tons  could  sail  from  eight  to  ten 
miles  an  hour  under  a  spanking  breeze.  Certainly  they 
<:ould  not  have  made  the  distance  from  an\'  part  of  New- 
foundland, which  is  about  900  miles,  in  four  days. 

From  the  account  of  the  expedition  of  Leif  Lriksen  : 

"  All  being  now  ready,  they  set  sail,  and  the  first  land 
lo  which  they  caine  was  that  last  seen  by  Hiarne. 

"  They  made  direct  for  land,  cast  anchor,  and  put  out 
in  a  boat.  Having  landed,  they  found  no  herbage.  All 
above  were  frozen  heights  ;  and  the  whole  space  between 
these  and  the  sea  was  occupied  by  bare  flat  rocks  ;  whence 
they  judged  this  to  be  a  barren  land.  Then  said  Leif, 
'  We  will  not  do  as  Biarne  did,  who  never  set  foot  on 
shore  :  I  will  give  a  name  to  this  land,  and  will  call  it 
"  Helluland"  [that  is,  land  of  broad  stones].'"  Here 
again  we  have  a  much  better  description  of  Labrador 
than  of  northeastern  Newfoundland.  From  there  Leif 
sailed  to  what  he  called  Markland,  or  "  Land  of  Woods," 
which  may  have  been  southern  Newfoundland,  or  east- 
4.^rn  Nova  Scotia,  or  Cape  Breton,  as  it  is  but  two  days' 
sail  from  the  Gut  of  Canso  to  Cape  Cod ;  and  the  Vin- 
land  of  Leif  was  undoubtedly  the  shore  lying  east  and 
*-outh  of  Cape  Cod. 


•r 

■  ,i 


r 


i)  'V 


it 

h 


■J 

s   3' 


(!     i! 


32  WHO    IIKST   SAW    IIIK    LABRADOR    COAST." 

From  Mr.  J.  Elliot  Cabot's  translation  of  the  Saga  re- 
lating to  Biarnc's  voyage  (Mass.  Quart.  Rev.  1849^ 
quoted  by  Horsford),  we  take  the  following  rcferenee  to 
Helluland.  As  before,  on  returning  from  the  south,, 
after  turning  the  bow  of  his  vessel  from  the  land  and 
sailing  out  to  sea  for  three  days  with  a  W.S.W.  wind, 
Biarne  saw  a  third  land  ;  "but  that  land  was  high,  moun- 
tainous, and  eovered  with  glaciers:"  then  the  wind  rose, 
and  they  sailed  four  days  to  Heriulfsness. 

A.D.  999,  Leif  set  sail.  "First  they  found  the  land 
which  Biarne  had  found  last.  Then  sailed  they  to  the 
land  and  cast  anchor,  and  put  off  a  boat  and  went  ashore, 
and  saw  there  no  grass.  Mickle  glaciers  were  over  all 
the  higher  jwrts  ;  but  it  was  like  a  plain  of  rock  from  the 
glaciers  to  the  sea,  and  it  seemed  to  them  that  the  land 
was  good  for  nothing.  Then  said  Leif:  'We  have  not 
done  about  this  land  like  Biarne,  not  to  go  upon  it  ; 
now  1  will  give  a  name  to  the  land  and  call  it  "  Hellu- 
land "  [flat-stone  land  |.'  " 

The  northeastern  coast  of  Newfoundland  is  rather 
low,  not  mountainous,  is  somewhat  wooded,  with  cer- 
tainly more  or  less  herbage  on  the  outer  islands  and 
points.  The  rock  formations  are  of  later  age  than  the 
Laurentian.  We  are  familiar  with  the  appearance  of  the 
Newfoundland  side  of  the  Strait  of  Belie  Isle,  which 
decidedly  contrasts  with  that  of  Labrador  opposite. 


i 


CHAPTER  III 


IHE  GEOGRAPHICAL  EVOLUTION  OK  LABRADOR. 


Junk  24111,  1497,  a  year  before  Columbus  cbscovered 
the  American  continent,  the  crew  of  a  little  vessel,  the 
"  Matthew,"  bgund  from  Bristol  on  a  voyage  of  discov- 
ery to  ascertain  the  shortest  line  from  England  to 
Cathay,  sighted  land.  The  vessel  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  John  Cabot,  who  was  accompanied  by  his  son 
Sebastian,  a  lad  still  under  age,  perhaps  but  nineteen  or 
twenty  years  old.  Sebastian  kept  the  ship's  log  ;  but 
the  narratives  of  this,  as  well  as  his  other  voyages,  have 
been  lost. 

The  land  was  called  "  Prima  vista,"  and  it  was  believed 
by  Biddle  and  Humboldt,  as  well  as  Kohl  and  others, 
that  this  region  which  the  Cabots  first  saw  was  the  coast 
of  Labrador  in  56°  or  58°  north  latitude.  VVhile  the 
narrative  of  this  momentous  voyage  has  been  lost,  a  map 
of  the  world  ascribed  to  Sebastian  Cabot,  and  engraved 
in  1549,  contained  an  inscription,  of  which  we  will  copv 
an  extract  translated  in  Hakluyt's  Voyages  (iii.  27). 

"  In  the  yeere  of  our  Lord  1497,  lohn  Cabot,  a  Vene- 
tian, and  his  sonne  Sebastian  (with  an  English  fleet  set 
out  from  BristoU)  discouered  that  land  which  no  man 
before  that  time  had  attempted,  on  the  24  of  June  about 
fiue  of  the  clocke  early  in  the  morning.  This  land  he 
called  Prima  vista,  that  is  to  say,  First  scene,  because  as 

33 


"^- 


« 


II: 


34 


II  IK    OKOtlkAI'MICAI,   EVOI.UTfON'    OF    I.AHUADOU. 


I  sui)pc)se  it  was  that  part  whereof  they  had  the  first 
slight  from  sea.  That  Island  which  lieth  out  l)efoie  the 
land,  he  called  the  Island  of  S.  lohn  vpon  this  occasion, 
as  I  thinke,  because  it  was  discouered  vpon  the  day  of 
lolin  the  Haptist.  The  inhabitants  of  this  Island  vse  to 
weare  beast  skinnes,  and  haue  them  in  as  great  estima- 
tion as  we  haue  our  finest  garments.  In  their  warres 
they  vse  bowes,  arrowes,  pikes,  darts,  woodden  clubs, 
and  slings.  The  soile  is  barren  in  some  places,  and 
yeildeth  little  fruit,  but  it  is  full  of  white  beares,  and 
stagges  farre  greater  than  ours."     (Page  27.) 

Kohl  seems  fully  persuaded  that  the  landfall  of  John 
Cabot  was  Labrador,  because  of  the  presence  of  white 
bears.*  But  if  the  inscription  and  map  are  genuine,  the 
description  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  island,  both  men 
and  beasts,  would  better  apply  to  those  of  the  eastern  or 
southern  coast  of  Newfoundland.  The  human  beings 
were  more  probably  red  Indians  than  Eskimo.  On  the 
Labrador  coast  the  soil  is  "  barren"  in  all  places,  while 
the  "stagges  far  greater  than  ours"  may  have  been  the 
moose,  which  then  abounded  and  still  exists  in  New- 
foundland, and  must  have  been  rare,  if  it  ever  lived,  on 
the  coast  of  Labrador.  Moreover  the  "  white  bears" 
spoken  of  as  being  so  abundant  may  have  been  a  white 
variety  of  the  black  bear,  or  perhaps  the  "  barren  ground" 
pale  bear  of  Sir  John  Richardson  may  have  been  fre- 
quent in  Newfoundland.  It  appears  to  have  been  of 
smaller  size  than  the  brown  bear  of  Europe,  because  in 
Parmenius'  account  of  Newfoundland,  published  in  1 583, 


*  "This  agrees  much  better  with  the  coast  of  Labrador  than  with  that  of 
Newfoundland,  to  which  the  white  bears  very  seldom,  if  ever,  come  down," 
(Page  133.): 


CABOT    11  IK    DISCOVKUKR   Ol'    I.AHKADOU. 


35 


is  said:  "  Beares  also  appear  al)oul  the  tishers'  stajj^e 
of  tlie  countrey,  and  are  sometimes  killed,  hut  they 
seeme  to  he  white,  as  I  eonjeetured  hy  their  skinnes. 
and  somewhat  lesse  than  ours,"     (I  lakluyt.) 

On  the  other  hand,  the  true  while  or  polar  hear  may 
have  frequently  visited  the  eastern  eoast  of  Newfound- 
land, as  it  formerly  ahounded  on  the  Lahrador  eoast. 

Moreover,  nothing  is  said  in  the  inseription  of  any 
ice,  which  at  that  date,  the  24th  of  June,  so  ahounds 
from  the  Strait  of  B^Ue  Isle  northward  to  the  polar  re- 
ijions.  Besides,  if  we  contrast  the  account  of  this  voy- 
ai^e  of  the  two  Cahots  in  1497  with  that  of  the  younger 
Cahol  the  following  year,  it  seems  plain  that  John 
Cabot's  "Prima  vista"  was  Newfoundland  rather  than 
Lahrador."' 

in  May,  i49(S,  Sebastian  Cahot,  under  license  of 
Ilenrv  VII.,  in  command  of  two  ships,  manned  with 
three  hundred  marineis  and  volunteers,  again  sailed  to 
the  northwest  in  search  of  Cathay.  Kohl  says:  "We 
iiave  no  certain  information  regarding  his  route.  But 
lie  appears  to  have  directed  his  course  again  to  the  coun- 
tr\  which  he  had  seen  the  year  before  on  the  voyage 
with  his  father,  our  present  Labrador."  Farther  on  he 
remarks :  "  The  Portuguese  Galvano,  also  one  of  the 
original  and  contemporary  authorities  on  Cabot's  voyage 
of  F498,  says  that,  having  reached  60°  north  latitude,  he 
and  his  men  found  the  air  very  cold,  and  great  islands 
of  ice,  and  from  thence  putting  about  and  finding  the 
land  to  turn  eastward,  they  trended  along  by  it,  to  see 


*  According  to  Charles  Dean,  LL.D.,  in  tlie  Critical  History  of  America,  vol. 
jii.,  John  Cabot's  landfall  was  the  northern  part  of  Cape  Rreton  Island. 


36 


THI-;  (;eo(;raphical  evolution  ok  i.AbKArxm. 


if  it  passed  on   the   other  side.     Then   they  sailed  hack 
again  to  the  south." 

From  this  and  other  statements  by  Humboldt  and 
D'Avezac,  Kohl  concludes  that  "Cabot  in  1498,  without 
doubt,  sailed  along  the  coast  of  Labrador  and  the  west- 
ern shores  of  Davis's  Strait.  Finally,  after  a  struggle 
with  the  ice  off  the  Cumberland  j^eninsula  in  Syl"  north 
latitude,  where  he  probably  lost  a  number  of  his  men,, 
he  abandoned  any  further  advance.  He  then  retraced 
his  course  southward  along  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and 
probably  came  to  anchor  in  some  bay  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  Newfoundland,  where  he  rested  his  men  and 
^paired  the  damage  done  to  his  vessels  by  the  Arctic 
ice.  His  vessel  was  probably  the  forerunner  of  the  fleet 
>f  '  ..i^lish,  Portuguese,  Basque,  French,  and  Spanish 
fishermen  which  in  the  next  two  centuries  visited  those 
shores,  opening  to  the  Old  World  a  source  of  revenue 
more  available  than  the  fabled  wealth  of  Cathay. 

Still,  dreams  of  the  Indies  led  Cabot  on  southward,, 
past  Newfoundland,  past  Nova  Scotia,  along  the  New 
England  shores,  and  probably  southward  near  Cape 
Hatteras,  with  the  hope  of  finding  a  direct  passage  tt> 
the  East. 

Although  t)n  their  return  from  their  first  voyage  of 
1497  the  Cabots  believed  that  the  land  they  had  dis- 
covered was  some  part  of  Asia,  to  them  must  be  given 
the  credit  of  beholding  the  American  continent  before 
Columbus;  while,  with  little  or  no  doubt,  vSebastian; 
Cabot  beheld  in  July,  1498,  the  mainland  of  Labrador, 
for,  says  Hakluyt,  "  Columbus  first  saw  the  firme  lande. 
August  1,  1498."  * 

*  Kohl,  p.  131,  foot-note. 


■il 


||[K    l-OkTlMlUKSK    ON   THE    LABRADOR   ClOASI . 


17 


English  seamen,  then,  were  the  first  to  reveal  to  a 
svorld  which  had  forgotten  the  deeds  of  the  Norsemen 
the  northeastern  shores  of  our  continent,  and  to  carry 
to  Europe  the  news  of  the  wealth  of  life  in  the  seas  of 
Newfoundland  and  the  Bay  of  St.  Lawrence. 

The  Cabots  were  of  Italian  origin,  though  Sebastian 
was  born  in  Bristol.  The  English  did  not  immediately 
follow  up  their  discoveries,  for  the  next  explorer  who 
ventured  near  if  not  within  sight  of  the  Labrador  coast 
was  a  Portuguese,  Cortereal,  who  was  commissioned  by 
Emanuel  the  Great  of  Portugal,  the  same  enterprising 
monarch  who  had  previously  sent  out  Vasco  de  Gama 
on  his  vovage  around  the  Cape  of  Good  Mope. 

Cortereal  sailed  from  Lisbon  in  the  year  1500.  His 
landfall  was  Newfoundland  near  Cape  Race,  or  north- 
ward at  (Conception  Bay.  From  this  point  he  sailed 
northward,  and  probably  discovered  Greenland.  He 
then  came  to  the  mouth  of  a  river  called  by  him  "  Rio 
nevado,"  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  near  the  lati- 
tude of  Hudson's  Strait.  Here  he  is  said  to  have  been 
^itopped  by  ice.  He  then  sailed  southward,  resting  on 
the  east  coast  of  Newfoundland  before  returning  to 
Lisbon. 

The  next  year  Cortereal  returned  to  Newfoundland. 
He  was  unable  to  reach  the  northern  regions  on  account 
of  the  ice,  which  was  more  abundant  than  the  year, 
l)efore.  On  his  return  his  vessel  and  all  aboard  foun- 
dered, the  companion  ship  reaching  Lisbon.  The  land 
Cortereal  visited  was  mapped  on  a  Portuguese  chart  in 
1 504,  and  was  called  "  Terra  de  Cortte  Reall."  Kohl 
4;laims  that  "  the  configuration  of  the  coasts  and  the 
names   written    upon  them    prove  that    parts  of  New- 


'If 


'     t 


fl 


I    ^ 


n. 


3S  llli;    (.KOi.UAPIIICAl.    KV<JI,II'110N    Ol-     I.ABKAIX  )U. 

foiiiidland  ;ni(l  of  our  present    LahiMdor  arc  the  rt'<ji<»ns 
intended.  ' 

As  yet  the  knowledge  of  Labrador  was  in  embryo, 


KAKIA'    VISIIOKS    To    "IJIK    I.ARKADOK    COAS'I". 


^9 


Labrador  and  NcwIouiuUand  l)cin;j:  a  nebulous  iiui>s. 
In  a  I^ortuguesc  map  of  '520,  nevertheless,  we  have 
the  name  of  "  Lavrador."  which,  however,  was  applied  to 
Greenland,  while  the  Labrador  coast  and  Newfoundland 
were  confounded  and  oiven  the  name  "  Bacalhaos." 

But  yet  it  is  to  the  Portuguese  that  we  owe  the  n.imc 
of  Labrador.  Kohl  tells  us  that  "King  Emanuel,  hav- 
ing heard  of  the  high  I rees  growing  in  the  northern 
countries,  and  having  seen  the  aborigines,  who  appeared 
so  well  qualified  for  labor,  thought  he  had  found  a  new 
slave-coast  liUc  that  which  he  owned  in  Africa;  and 
dreamed  of  the  tall  masts  which  he  would  cut,  and  the 
men-of-war  which  he  would  build,  from  the  forests  of 
the  countrv  of  the  ('ortereals." 

Tlu' word  Labrador  is  a  Portuguese  and  Spanish  word 
for  laboni.  On  a  i)hotograph  of  a  xVle.xican  field-hand, 
or  |)e()n,  ploughing  in  a  field,  which  we  lately  [)urchased 
in  Mexico,  is  written  "  Labrador."  In  a  recent  book  on 
Cuba  the  author  thus  speaks  of  a  wealthy  Cuban  planter  : 
"  He  is.  by  his  own  account,  a  Hijo  dc  Labrador  (labor- 
er's son )  from  Alava.  in  the  Basque  Provinces."'"'  Cor- 
tereal's  land  was  thus  the  "laborer's  land,"  whence  it 
was  hoped  slave  laborers  might  be  exported  to  the 
Portuguese  colonies. 

The  Portuguese  also,  as  is  well  known,  applied  to 
Newfoundland  the  name  Bacalhaos,  which  means  dried 
codfish  or  stockfish. 

As  the  result  of  Cortereal's  voyage  the  Portuguese 
fishermen  through  the  rest  of  the  i6th  century  habitually 
visited  the  shores  and  banks  of  Newfoundland,  and 
undoubtedly  were  more  or  less  familiar  with  the  Labra- 

*  A.  Gallenga.     The  Pearl  of  the  Antilles,  p.  loo.   1874. 


m 


40 


rni',  i;K()(;kAi'iii('Ai.  kvoi.ution  01   i.AnRADOR. 


■    f 


«  . 


<l«>r  coast,  tor  Scandinavian  authors  report  their  [iresencc 
on  the  Greenland  coast.      (Kohl,  p.  190.) 

In  a  fool-note  to  j).  197  of  his  "  Pioneers  of  France  in 
the  New  VV^orld,"  Mr.  Parknian  remarks:  "  f.ahrador — 
Lahratoris  Terra — is  so  called  Irom  the  circumstance 
that  (vortereal  in  the  year  1300  stole  thence  a  car^o  of 
Indians  for  slaves,"  That  the  "  Indians"  were  captured 
on  the  Lahrador  coast,  however,  apj)ears  to  he  an  in- 
exact statement.  There  were  prohablv  then  no  red 
Indians  or  timber  on  the  Labrador  coast,  but  i,u\- 
tereal  must  have  entrapped  them  in  Newfoundland  or 
some  place  southward.  Kohl  | }).  169 1  tells  us  that 
*•  these  aboriju'ines,  captiued  accordinij;^  to  the  custom  of 
I  he  e.\r>lorers  of  that  dav,  are  described,  bv  an  eve-wit- 
ness  who  saw  them  in  Lisbon,  as  tall,  well  built,  and 
admirably  lit  for  labor.  We  infer  from  this  statement 
that  they  were  not  Esquimaux  from  the  coast  of  Labra- 
dor, but  Indians  of  the  Micmac  tribe,  inhabitants  of 
Newfoundland  and  Nova  Scotia."  The  editor  of  Kohl's 
work  adds  a  quotatit)n  from  the  Venetian  Pasquali^o, 
who  savs  :  "Mis  serene  majestv  contemplates  deriving 
ureat  atlvantaije  from  the  countr\-  not  oidy  on  account 
of  the  timber,  of  which  he  has  occasion,  but  of  the  in- 
haltitants,  who  an-  admirably  calculati'd  for  labor,  and 
are  the  best  slaws  1  have  ever  seen." 

The  path  t)pene(l  by  Sebastian  Cabot  was  not  only 
trod  bv  Portuij^uese,  but  the  Spanish,*  Basques,  iMench 
(Bretons  and  Normans),  and  Lnglish  frequented  the 
rich    tishin<j^-banks  of    Newfoundland,    and    with    little 

*  "The  voyage  of  Estevan  Gomez  produced  in  Spain  the  same  effect  whicti 
those  of  the  Cabots,  of  Cortereal,  and  of  the  men  from  Normandy  and  Brittany 
had  produced  in  England,  Portugal,  and  Erance — it  conducted  the  Spaniards  to 
the  northwestern  fisheries."     (Henry  Hudson,  by  Ashler.  Makluyt  Soc.  [).  xcix.) 


I  III,  \  i»\  A(;i'>  or  «  Au  I  ii'.k. 


4» 


'  « 


«loul>t  visited  ihc  (riilf  of  St.  I.uvvicncc  and  the  southern 
coasi  ol  Ivahrador.  Tlieii  (hscoveries  were  perhaps 
recorded  in  Gastaldi's  maj). 

Labrador     Hrst     became    clearly    dilTeientiated     from 
Newfoimdland    b\'   jae(ines   Cartiei.       Id   him    we  <)\v<> 

11. 


TERRA    DC    LABOHADOR 


PART 


New  France  by  tt)e  3lalian  3acomo  Ai  Ga|'taldi  in  about  il)»  y.<w  "iSSO 

the  discovery  <»f  the  Strait  t)f  Belle  Isle;  of  Belle  Isle, 
the  Isola  De'  Demoni  of  earlier  voyages;  of  Chateau 
Bay  and  other  points  on  the  Tsidf  coast  of  Labrador. 

Sailino  from  St.  Maio  the  20th  of  April.  1534,  he 
arrived  Ma\  loth  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Newfoundland, 
near  Cape  Buonavista.  Prom  this  ca[)e  Cartier  pushed 
northward  until  he  came  to  what  is  now  called  Fogo 
island,  which  was  one  of  the  resorts  of  the  ijreat  auk,  or 


d 


t 
i 


42 


rm-;  ckograi'iikm,  Kvof.i;  ii«)n  <ii    [.abkador. 


"  pciij^uin"  ol  the  (;;iily  rxploicrs.  IJiU  we  will  U  1 
Carticr  describe  the  scene  which  niel  his  eyes  in  his  own 
words  translated  1)N'  llakliiyl  from  "  The  lirsl  Relation 
of  laciues  Carthier  of  S.  Malo,  of  the  new  land  called 
New  l^^'ance,  newlv  discovered   in    the  )■  >f  our   Lord 

'534'" 
"  Vpon  the  21  of  May  iIk-   winde   beiiijn  in  tlu'  West, 

we  hoised  saile,  and  sailed  tow;n(l  Vorlh  and  l)v  Fuist 
from  the  Cape  of  liuona  \'isi;i  \niil  we  came  to  the 
Island  of  Birds,  which  wasenuironed  ahoul  with  a  haidvc 
of  ice  hut  broken  and  crackl  :  nol  withstanding;'  1  he  savd 
banke,  our  two  boits  went  thillu  1  to  take  in  sonu-  birds, 
whereof  there  is  such  plenty,  that  vnlei  se  a  man  did  sc-c 
them,  he  woukl  thinke  it  an  incredii)U'  thing  :  foi  albeit 
the  [sland  (which  containeth  about  lea<»ui'  in  circuit  > 
be  so  full  of  them,  that  they  seeme  t  ha^  .Mie  brouj^hi 
thither,  and  sowed  for  the  ncjnce,  ,et  au  „were  an  hun- 
dred folde  as  many  hovering  i '  out  it  ns  within  ;  sonu- 
of  the  which  are  as  big  as  ia'  .-.,  bkicke  and  white,  with 
t)eaks  like  vnto  crowes  :  they  1.  dwavcs  vpon  the  sea  : 
they  cannot  Hie  very  high,  becaiisi  'uir  wings  ;ne  so 
little,  and  no  l)igger  than  halfc  ones  hau,'  '.'et  do  they 
file  as  swiftly  as  an\'  birds  of  tlu;  aire  leuell  to  t\w  water  ; 
they  are  also  exceeding  fat ;  we  n:niUMl  them  ApoK.th. 
In  lesse  then  halfe  an  houre  we  HI  led  two  boats  full  of 
them,  as  if  they  hatl  l)ene  with  stones :  so  that  besides 
them  w'hich  we  did  eat  fresh,  eury  shij)  did  pov.'der  and 
salt  five  or  sixe  barrels  full  of  them. 
.  "  Besides  these,  there  is  another  kinde  of  birds  whictt 
houer  in  the  aire,  and  ouer  the  sea,  lesser  then  the  others  ; 
and  these  doe  all  gather  themselves  together  in  the  Isl- 
and, and  put  themselves  vnder  the  wings  of  other  birds 


^^ 


i 


iiii':  \(»\.\(;ks  ok  (  akiiiu. 


43 


dial  arc  j^ri'atcr  :  llicsc  arc  luuncd  Cnulci/.  1  here  arc 
also  of  anolhci  sort  Iml  l)ii»gcr,  and  whit*-  which  hilc 
cv<n  as  iloys  :  those  we  named  IVIarj^aulx. 

"  Anil  all)cit  (he  sayd  Ishmd  he  14  h'a»iucs  from  I  he 
maine  hind,  noiwithstandiiijn  hearts  eome  swimminjn 
thither  in  cai  of  ihcsavd  hirds  ;  and  our  men  found  oiu^ 
there  as  j^reat  as  anv  cow,  and  as  white  asany  swan,  who 
in  their  |)resence  leapt  into  the  sea;  and  von  VVhitsun 
mvndav  (foilowint*  our  vo)a_!L>c  toward  the  land)  we  met 
her  hv  the  way.  swimming  toward  iatid  as  swiftly  as  we 
couhi  saile.  So  soone  as  we  saw  her,  we  pursued  her  with 
our  i)oals,  and  hv  maine  strens'th  tookr  her,  whos(;  Mesh 


was  as  jLiooc 
veres  ohie." 


I   to   he  eaten  as   the   llcsh  <>f  a  calfe  of   two 


( 'artier  then  N.nli'd   noi  ill,  entered   the   Stiait  of    I5elle 


ish 


ancliormu"  a 


t    \M 


inc 


Sahl 


on.  stil 


I   settlement  east 


Brad« 


15; 


of  lirador*-  I5ay. 

•'  White  Sand  |  Blanc  Sablon  |  is  a  road  in  the  which 
there  is  no  place  jruarded  from  the  south,  or  southeast. 
But  t(nvards  south-southwest  from  the  saide  road  there 
are  two  Hands,  one  of  the  which  is  called  Brest  Island, 
and  the  other  the  Hand  of  Birds,  in  which  there  is  great 
store  of  Godet/,  and  crows  with  red  beaks  and  red  feete: 
they  make  their  nests  in  holes  vnder  the  iriound  euen 
a.s  conies." 

The  ijreat  Fn-nch  naviijator  hai  bored  in  the  ancient 
port  of  Brest,  near  these  Islands;  the  "Hand  of  Birds," 
being  the  present  Parroqueet  Island,  fifteen  miles  east- 
ward of  the  mouth  of  Esquimaux  River. 

Our  voyager  then  coasted  along  these  forbidding- 
shores  to  St.  James  River,  where  he  first  saw  the  natives ; 
"  they  vveare  theirjiaire  tied  on  the  top  like  a  wreath  of 


W 


44 


IKK    (iKOi.kAi'HICAl     KVOlAillON    OK    LAHKADOU. 


I  'ii'i 


ill 

■A 


r 


III 


i  4 


hay ;  .  .  .  they  paint  themselves  with  certain  Roan 
colors  ;  iheir  boates  are  made  of  the  harke  of  birch  trees, 
with  the  which  they  fish  and  take  great  store  of  scales, 
and  as  (arre  as  we  could  vnderstand  since  our  cornming 
thither,  that  is  not  their  habitation,  but  they  come  from 
the  maine  land  out  of  hotter  countries,  to  catch  the  saide 
seals  and  other  necessaries  for  their  lining."  These  red 
men  must  have  been  the  Mountaineer  Indians,  which 
still  come  down  to  the  coast  from  the  warmer  interior 
each  summer  to  fish  for  seal,  ('artier  makes  no  men- 
tion of  the  Eskimo,  who  would  undoubtedly  have  been 
encountered  if  their  roving  bands  had  been  livinij  on 
the  coast  from  Chateau  Bay  to  the  Seven  Isles,  which  he 
so  carefully  explored. 

This  coast  appeared  to  Cartier  so  disagreeable,  un- 
productive, and  barren,  that  he  exclaimed,  "  It  ought  to 
be  the  countrv  which  God  had  piven  to  Cain."  So  he 
crossed  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  sailed  over  to  Newfound- 
land, coasted  that  Island  to  Cape  Anguille,  which  he 
reached  on  the  24th  of  June.  From  there  he  sailed  over 
to  the  Magdalen  Islands,  to  the  Bird  rocks  (Isles  aux 
Margaulx),  thence  to  Prince  Edward's  Island,  thence  to 
Miramichi,  afterward  to  Gaspe  Bay,  and  coasted  Anti- 
costi,  crossing  over  again  to  near  and  within  sight  of  the 
Mingan  Islands,  Not  on  this  voyage  discovering  the 
liver  St.  Lawrence,  he  finally  turned  homewards,  coast- 
ing along  the  Labrador  shore,  touching  at  Cape  Tien- 
not,  now  called  Cape  Montjoli.  Thence  he  returned  to 
France  through  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

The  next  year  Cartier  returned,  sailing  again  through 
the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  ;  and,  coasting  along  the  southern 
shores  of  Labrador,  discovered  the  river  St.  Lawrence. 


45 


I 


•i  f 


46 


IIIK    t;KO(;KAFIIlCAL   EVOLUTION   OF    I.AHRADOK. 


II 


J     I 


^  ! 
1 1 


'■    ! 


tlj, 


(    ■ 


Oil  his  ihird  voyage,  Cartiei  entered  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  ])assino  in  between  Newfoundland  and  Cape 
Breton,  thus  for  the  first  time  demonstrating  that  New- 
foundland was  an  island  and  not  a  part  of  the  continent. 

The  next  step  in  the  geographical  evolution  of  Lab- 
rador is  seen  in  Mercator's  great  map  of  1569.  Kohl 
tells  us  that  for  the  compilation  of  this  map  Mercator 
had  collected  many  printed  and  manuscript  maps  and 
charts,  and  many  re})orts  of  voyages  of  discovery.  "  Hut," 
says  Kohl,  "the  best  portion  O''"  lercator's  work,  and  a 
real  and  valuable  improvement  upon  all  former  maps,  is 
his  delineation  of  the  large  peninsula  of  Labrador,  lying 
southwest  of  Greenland.  On  all  former  maps,  that  re- 
gion was  ill-shapen  and  most  incorrectly  drawn.  But 
here,  under  the  name  of  'Terra  Corterealis,' it  receives 
its  proper  shape,  with  a  full  and  just  development,  which 
iiad  not  been  given  to  it  on  any  map  prior  to  1569.  He 
makes  its  eastern  coast  run  southeast  and  northwest,  as  it 
really  does  from  about  53°  to  60°  N.  In  the  north  he 
plainly  shows  the  narrow  entrance  of  Hudson's  Strait, 
and  at  the  west  of  it  a  large  gulf,  called  by  him  '  Golfam 
de  Merosro.'  This  remarkable  gulf  may  be  an  indica- 
tion of  either  Hudson's  Bay  or  only  the  Bay  of  Ungava. 
I  think  that  the  latter  was  meant ;  first,  because  the 
'Gulf  of  Merosro' has  the  longitude  of  themouth  of 
the  river  St.  Lawrence,  which  is  also  the  longitude  of 
the  Bav  of  Ungava ;  second,  because  the  said  gulf  is 
represented  as  closed  in  the  west.  The  western  coast  of 
the  Bay  of  Ungava  runs  high  up  to  the  north,  where 
Hudson's  Strait  is  often  filled  with  ice.  This  may  have 
led  the  unknown  discoverers,  the  informants  of  Mercator, 
to  suppose  that  it  was  closed  in  the  west.      If  they  had 


\h 


m 


liir.    I'OKTIFCUKSE    VOYACIKS. 


47 


k)t)kc(l  round  Cape  Wolstenliolm  into  Hudson's  Bay, 
thev  would  have  ju-rceivt'd  a  broad  bay  and  oi)cn  water 
before  tbeni. 


Mercatoi  does  not   indieaie,  so   far   as 


1     Is 


now 


tl 


le 


sources  from  which  he  derived  these  remarkable  improve- 
)nents  for  liis  chart,  which  were  not  known  by  Homem 
in  1558.  and  of  wiiich  tliere  are  only  slight  indications 
<m  the  Cabot  map  of  1544.  He  adopts  the  Portuouese 
nies   for   his  '  Terra  Corterealis.'  namelv,   '  Golfam  de 


na 
M 


erosro. 


V.    dus     Demonios,'    'Cabo     Marco, 


ilh 


a 


da  Fort  una. 


Baia    dus   Medaus.'  '  Rio   de    'I'ormenta, 


"  Ylhas  de  Caravillo,'  '  Baia  de  Malvas,'  etc.  Some  of 
I  he  names  are  not  new,  but  had  been  lonjj^  known,  though 
not  alwavs  put  in  the  same  position.  We  know  of  no 
official  Portuguese  exploring  expedition  made  to  these 
regions  between  the  time  of  Homem  (1558)  and  Merca- 
tor  ( I  S69)  ;  and  therefore  the  suggestions  of  Dr.  Asher, 
for  the  solution  of  this  problem,  have  a  high  degree  of 
probabilitv.  He  says  :"'  '  The  Portuguese  fishermen 
continued  their  surveys  of  the  northern  coasts,'  com- 
7iienced  by  Gaspar  Cortereal  in  1500,  'most  likely  for 
no  other  purpose  than  to  discover  advantageous  fisheries. 
They  seem  to  have  advanced  slowly,  step  by  step,  first 
along  the  shores  of  Newfoundland,  then  up  to  the  mouth 
of  Hudson's  Strait,  then  through  that  strait,  and  at  last 
into  Hudson's  Bay,'  or,  as  I  think,  intt)  Ungava  Bay. 
'With  a  certain  number  of  ancient  maps,  ranging  from 
1529  to  1570,  before  us,  we  can  trace  this  progress  step 
by  step.  In  1544,'  the  time  of  Cabot's  map,  'the  Por- 
tuguese seem  not  yet  to  have  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
strait;  and  in  1570,'  or,  as  I  think,    \$6g,  the  date  of 

*  See  G.  M.  Asher's  "  Henry  Hudson,"  Introduction,  p.  xcvi.,  London,  i860. 


I! 

if 


1: 


48 


IIIK   (iKOClKAPIIlCAI.    KVOMJTION   OF   LABRADOR. 


M: 


I  1: 


is    <\>-V 


I!      r 


•  !        11 

our  M creator's  map,'"'  they  have  reaehed  the  bay,*' 
Hudson's,  or  at  least  Ungava  Bay.  '  We  ean,  there- 
fore, state  with  the  greatest  certainty  that  Hudson's 
Bay,'  Hudson's  vStrait  as  far  as  (Jngava  Bay,  .  .  .  'had 
been  discovered  l)efore  the  publication  of  Ortelius's  at- 
las, which  look  place  in  1570,' or,  better,  i)efore  the  pul)- 
lication  of  Mercator's  chart,  which  took  j)lace  in  1569. 
'  But  we  are  not  equallv  certain  that  the  discovery  falls 
within  the  years  1558  to  1570,'  or,  better,  1569,  'because 
we  have  only  the  nesjative  evidence  of  Dieijo  Homem's 
chart  to  support  the  latter  assertion.  The  fact  itself  is, 
however,  probable  enough.* " 

To  the  English  navigators  of  the  i6th  and  17th  cen- 
turies succeeding  Cartier  we  owe  the  next  step  in  our 
knowledge  of  the  geography  of  the  Labrador  peninsula. 

In  1577  Master  Martin  Frobisher  sighted  the  coast 
of  Northern  I^abrador,  which  he  called  "  Frisland,"^ 
using  a  word  which  frequently  apjiears  in  the  early 
charts.  The  point  he  first  sighted  was  probably  north 
of  58"",  for  after  coasting  four  days  along  the  coast  for 
perhaps  a  distance  of  nearly  two  hundred  miles,  a  voy- 
age of  eight  days,  between  the  8th  and  i6th  of  July, 
would  carry  him  to  Frobisher's  Strait.  Moreover  his 
descrii)tion  of  the  coast  applies  well  to  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  Labrador  beyond  Flopedale  and  Okkak. 

The  narrative  reads  thus  : 

"The  4.  of  luly  we  came  within  the  making  of  Fris- 
land.  From  this  shoare  10.  or  12.  leagues,  we  met 
great  Islands  of  yce,  of  halfe  a  mile,  some  more,  some 

*  Dr.  Asher  does  noi  mention  Mercator's  map  of  1569.  He  had  before  lilm 
the  map  of  Ortelius  of  1570,  who  was  only  a  follower  and  copyist  of  Mercator, 
but  adopted  his  views.) 


,:', 


4' 


THE   PORTUGUESE   VOYAGES. 


49 


i 


lesse  in  compasse,  shewing  above  the  sea,  30.  or  40. 
fathoms,  and  as  we  supposed  fast  on  ground,  where  with 
our  lead  we  could  scarce  sound  the  bottom  for  depth. 

'•  Here  in  place  of  odoriferous  and  fragrant  smels  of 
sweete  gums,  and  pleasant  notes  of  musicall  birdes, 
which  other  Countreys  in  more  temperate  Zones  do 
yeeld,  wee  tasted  the  most  boisterous  Boreal  blasts  mixt 
with  snow  and  haile,  in  the  moneths  of  lune  and  luly, 
nothing  inferior  to  our  vntemperate  winter  ;  a  sudden 
alteration,  and  especially  in  a  place  of  Parallele,  where 
the  Pole  is  not  eleuate  aboue  6t.  degrees  ;  at  which 
height  other  Countreys  more  to  the  North,  yea  vnto  70. 
degrees,  shew  themselues  more  temperate  than  this  doth. 
All  along  this  coast  yce  lieth,  as  a  continuall  bulwarke, 
and  so  defendeth  the  Country,  that  those  that  would 
land  there,  incur  great  danger.  Our  Generall  3.  days 
together  attempted  with  the  ship  boate  to  haue  gone  on 
shoare,  which  for  that  without  great  danger  he  could 
not  accomplish,  he  deferred  it  vntil  a  more  convenient 
time.  All  along  the  coast  lie  very  high  mountains  cou- 
t'red  with  snow,  except  in  such  places,where  through  the 
steepenes  of  the  mountains  of  force  it  must  needs  fall. 
I'^oure  days  coasting  along  this  land,  we  found  no  signe 
of  habitation.  Little  birds,  which  we  judged  to  have 
lost  the  shoare,  by  reason  of  thickc  fogges  which  that 
Country  is  much  subiect  vnto.  came  flying  into  our  ships, 
which  causeth  us  to  suppose,  that  the  Country  is  both 
more  tollerable,  and  also  habitable  within,  than  the  out- 
ward shoare  maketh  shew  or  signification. 

"  From  hence  we  departed  the  eight  of  July  ;  on  the 
16.  of  the  same,  we  came  with  the  making  of  land, 
which  land  our  Generall  the  veere  before  had  named  the 


EAST 


■■!    1 


f  I 


'     II 


1    '    ,:i 


■  I'll 


'I! 


, '  ; 


ISIXV 


</) 


F-t     C/) 

5i 


o 


50 


FROBISHERS   VOYAGE. 


51 


Queenes  foreland,  being  an  Island  as  we  iudge,  lying 
neere  the  supposed  continent  with  America  ;  and  on  the 
other  side,  opposite  to  the  same,  one  other  Island  called 
Halles  Isle,  after  the  name  of  the  Master  of  the  ship, 
neere  adiacent  to  the  firm  land,  supposed  Continent  with 
Asia."     (Page.  57.)* 

In  Rundallf  we  find  it  stated  that  "  Frobisher,  now 
left  to  himself,  altered  his  course,  and  stood  to  the  S.W.; 
and,  seventeen  days  afterwards,  other  land,  judged  to  be 
Labrador,  was  sighted  in  latitude  62°  2'  N."  (p.  1 1).  In 
this  latitude,  however,  lies  Meta  Incognita. 

"The  great  cape  seen  [by  John  Davis]  on  the  31st 
was  designated,  it  is  stated,  Warwick's  Foreland  ;  and 
the  southern  promontory,  across  the  gulf.  Cape  Chid- 
LEY.lj;  On  this  Fox  observes:  'Davis  and  he  |  Wey- 
mouth, a  later  navigator]  did,  I  conceive,  light  Hudson 
into  his  Streights.'  The  modern  authority  before  cited 
expresses  a  similar  opinion  ;  and  there  is  no  reason  to 
doubt  the  fact. 

"  From  Cape  Chidley  a  southerly  course  was  taken  to 
seek  the  two  vessels  that  were  expected  to  be  at  the 
fishing-ground  ;  and  on  the  loth,  in  latitude  56°  40',  they 
\\2idi 'A  frisking  gale  at  west-northwest.  On  the  12th, 
in  about  latitude  54°  32',  an  island  was  fallen  in  with 
which  was  named  Darcie's  Island.      Here  five  deer  were 


*  "  The  second  voyage  of  Master  Martin  Frobisher,  1577,  written  by  Master 
Dionise  Settle.     Hakluyt,  vol.  iii.,  New  Edition,  London,  1810." 

f  Narratives  of  Voyages  towards  the  Northwest  in  search  of  a  passage  to 
Cathay  and  India.  1496-1631.  By  Thomas  Rundall,  Esq.,  London,  Hakluyt 
Society.  1849,  8",  pp.  259. 

X  "  '  The  Ivor s hippf tdl  M.  John  Chidley,  of  Chidley,  in  the  county  of  Deuon, 
osquire,' was  apparently  chief  promoter  of  an  expedition  which  sailed  Anno  1589, 
for  '  the  province  of  Arauco  on  the  coast  of  Chili,  by  thestreight  of  Magellan. 
Of  this  expedition  M.  Chidley  was  also  the  General.     Hakluyt,  iv.  357." 


!  i 


:i  !i' 


52 


IHE  GKOGKAPHICAL  EVOLUTION  OF  LABRADOR. 


I 


h: 


i'»  '■ 


I  1 1  r 


$ 


!     L 


Mi 
!    I 


'! 


I,  !! 


M  r 


! 


seen,  and  it  was  hoped  some  of  them  might  be  killed, 
but  on  a  party  landing,  the  whole  herd,  after  being 
twice  coursed  about  the  island,  '  took  the  sea  and 
swamme  towards  ilands  distant  from  that  three  leagues.' 
They  swam  faster  than  the  boat  could  be  pulled,  and  so 
escaped.  It  was  represented  that  one  of  them  '  was  as 
bigge  as  a  good  prety  cowe,  and  very  fat,  their  feet  as 
big  as  oxe  feet.' 

"The  13th,  in  seeking  a  harbour,  the  vessel  struck  on 
a  rock  and  received  a  leak  ;  which,  however,  was  mended 
the  following  day,  in  latitude  54°,  '  in  a  storm  not  very 
outragious  at  noone.'  On  the  15th,  in  latitude  52°  40', 
being  disappointed  in  their  expectations  of  finding  the 
Elizabeth  and  Sunshine,  or  of  finding  any  token  of 
those  vessels  having  been  in  the  vicinity,  and  there 
being  but  little  wood,  with  only  half  a  hogshead  of  fresh 
water  on  board,  it  was  determined  to  shape  the  course 
homeward  for  England.  This  was  accordingly  done, 
and  they  arrived  on  the  15th  of  September  in  Dart- 
mouth, *  giving  thanks  to  God  '  for  their  safe  arrival." 
(Page  49.) 

But  it  is  to  Davis,  after  whom  Davis  Strait  was 
named,  that  we  owe  the  most  exact  knowledge  of  the 
Labrador  coast,  until  modern  times.  The  following 
extracts  contain  all  that  we  can  lind  regarding  his  ex- 
ploration of  the  Labrador  coast. 

Davis,  in  the  Moonshine,  left  Greenland  in  latitude 
66°  33'  Aug.  ist,  1586.  "She  crossed  the  strait  in 
nearly  a  due  westerly  direction.  The  14th  of  August 
she  was  near  Cape  Walsingham,  in  latitude  66°  19'  on 
the  American  side.  It  was  too  late  for  anything  more 
than    a  summarv  search  along  the  coast.     The  rest  of 


;    I   >: 


WEYMOUTH  S   VOYAGE. 


53 


the  month,  and  the  first  days  of  September,  were  spent 
in  that  search.  Besides  the  already  known  openings, 
namely,  Cumberland  Strait,  Frobisher's  Strait,  and  Hud- 
son's Strait,  two  more  openings  were  found,  Davis  s  Inlet 
in  56°,  and  Ivuctoke  Inlet  in  54°  30'.  Davis's  men  had  to 
cross  the  Atlantic  in  his  miserable  craft,  and  he  per- 
formed the  voyage  through  the  equinoctial  gales  in 
little  more  than  three  weeks.  He  reached  England 
again  in  the  beginning  of  October,  1586."  (Henry 
Hudson,  cxv.) 

Davis  was  followed  by  Weymouth  in  1602.  Accord- 
ing to  Rundall  : 

"  From  the  5th  to  the  14th  of  July,  the  navigator 
appears  to  have  been  ranging  along  the  coast  of  Labra- 
dor, where,  on  the  loth,  variation  22°  10'  W.,  he  saw 
many  islands.  On  the  15th  he  was  in  latitude  55°  31', 
variation  17°  15'  W.;  and  the  day  following  saw  '  a  very 
pleasant  low  land,  all  islands,'  in  latitude  N.  55°,  varia- 
tion 18°  12'  W.  On  the  17th  he  entered  and  sailed  up 
an  inlet  for  thirty  leagues,  in  sanguine  hope  of  having 
found  the  desired  passage ;  but  he  was  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. In  this  inlet,  which  has  been  identified 
with  Sleeper's  Bay  on  Davis's  Inlet,  Weymouth  en- 
countered his  last  peril;  and  escaped  in  safety.  The  fly- 
boats  were  assailed  bv  a  furious  storm,  which  terminated 
in  a  whirlwind  of  extreme  violence,  that  rendered  them, 
for  a  while,  completely  unmanageable ;  and  though  very 
strongly  built,  they  took  in  so  much  water,  for  want  of 
spar  decks,  that  they  narrowly  escaped  being  swamped. 
As  soon  as  the  weather  cleared  up,  the  course  was 
shaped  for  England."     (Page  68.) 

The  Labrador  coast  was  next  seen  by  Master  John 


54  IHE  GEOGRAPHICAL    EVOLUTION   OF   LABRADOR. 


1 


Y. 


■<  rif 


'\^ 


I 


11 


r  I.' 


!'..^ti  h.rtiuJUJkJmx*^<un' 


:ms 


[   I 


VOYAGE   OF   CAPTAIN    KNK;HT. 


S5 


Knight,  who  sailed  April  i8,  1606,  from  Gravesend  in 
the  Hopewell, 

"  After  a  most  tedious  and  uninteresting  passage,  the 
vessel  arrived  off  some  broken  land,  in  latitude  56°  25' 
N.:  much  ice  driving  to  the  southward.  The  wind  was 
fresh  and  the  commander  made  fast  to  a  piece  of  ice  ; 
hut  falling  calm,  he  endeavored  to  row  in  between  the 
masses.  This  was  an  unfortunate  attempt.  The  weather 
became  thick  and  foggy,  and  a  furious  storm  arose  on 
June  14:  they  were  driven  about  in  the  ice.  Lost 
si^ht  of  land  till  the  19th,  when  it  is  described  as  being 
seen  again,  rising  like  eight  islands  in  latitude  56° 
48'  N.,  variation  25°  W.  The  vessel  was  then  taken 
into  a  cove,  and  made  fast  by  hawsers  laid  out  on  shore. 
On  June  26th,  Capt.  Knight,  his  mate,  and  three  hands 
set  out,  well  armed,  to  explore  a  large  island.  They 
disappeared,  having  probably  been  killed  by  the  natives. 

*'  On  the  night  of  the  29th,  '  they  were  attacked  by 
savages,  who  set  on  them  furiously  with  bows  and 
arrows ;  and  at  one  time  succeeded  in  obtaining  posses- 
sion of  the  shallop.  However,  the  eight  mariners,  with 
a  fierce  dog,  showed  a  resolute  front,  and  the  assailants, 
upward  of  fifty  in  number,  were  finally  driven  off.  The 
savages  are  represented  to  have  been  '  very  little  people, 
tavvnie  colored,  thin  or  no  beards,  and  flat-nosed.'  They 
are  also  described  as  being  '  man-eaters  ; '  but  for  this 
imputation  there  appears  to  be  no  warrant,  except  in  the 
imagination  of  the  parties  on  whom  the  attack  was 
made." 

On  the  4th  of  July,  the  vessel  was  in  great  danger  of 
foundering,  the  craft  leaking  badly. 

"  Shaping  their  course  towards   Newfoundland,   with 


III 


|iii-« 


1 1 


56 


rHE   GK(Xik/\nilCAl.    EVOLUlKiN    OK    LABKADOK. 


ii  !i 


'!  r  .'t 


r  'If 


I. it 


! 


a  strouji  current  in  their  favour,  they  made  Fogo  on  the 
23d  of  July.  At  that  place  they  were  most  hospitably 
entertained.  Having  refitted,  they  left  on  the  22d  of 
August,  full  of  grateful  feelings  towards  their  generous 
friends  ;  and  arrived  at  Dartmouth  on  the  24th  of 
December."     (Pages  75,  76.) 

In  1 610  Henry  Hudson  discovered  the  strait  which 
bears  his  name,  his  discoveries  being  recorded  in  the 
accompanying  map,  copied  from  the  volume  on  Henry 
Hudson  published  by  the  Hakluyt  Society. 

I  n  the  narrative  of  the  Voyage  of  Sir  Thomas  Bui- 
Ion  (1612-13)  we  find  the  following  reference  to  Cape 
Chidley: 

"  On  this  part  of  the  voyage,  the  following  remarks  are 
reported,  by  Fox,  to  have  been  made  by  Abacuk 
Prickett.  '  He  saith,  they  came  not  through  the  maine 
channel  I  of  Fretum  Hudson,  nor  thorow  Lumlcys  Inlet; 
but  through  into  the  Mare  Hyperborum  betwixt  those 
Hands  first  discovered  and  named  Chidley's  Cape  by 
Captain  Davis,  and  the  North  part  of  America,  called 
by  the  Spaniards,  who  never  saw  the  same,  Cape 
Labrador,  but  it  is  meet  by  the  N.  E.  point  iA  America, 
where  was  contention  among  them,  some  maintaining 
(against  others)  that  them  Tlands  were  the  Reso/utio7t,"' 
etc.     (Page  89.) 

Captaiit  Gibbons,  in  1614,  appears  lo  ha.  •  been  de- 
tained for  some  months  on  the  ^        idor  coast. 

"Of  the  result  of  the  voyage  a  that  is  ki.jwn,"  says 
Asher,  "is  thus  laconically  coiiiumn'^ated  by  Master 
Fox  :  '  Little,'  he  says,  *  is  to  be  writ  to  any  purpose, 
for  that  hee  was  put  by  the  mouth  of  Fretum  Hudson, 
and  with  the  ice  driven  into  ?  bay  called  by  his  company 


(;iHB(»N  s  V()Va<;k. 


57 


Gibbons  his  Hole,  in  latitude  about  57  upon  the 
N.  E.  |)art  of  Stinema,  where  he  laid  twenty  weeks  fast 
amongst  the  ice,  in  danger  to  have  been  spoyled,  or 
never  to  have  got  away,  so  as  the  time  being  lost,  hee 
was  inforced  to  returne.'  The  bay  in  which  Gibbons 
was  caught  is  supposed  to  have  been  that  now  called 
Nain,  on  the  coast  of  Labrador."  (Page  95.  Arctic 
Voyages,  p.  205. ) 


\  I. 


<L      /    JTMt  LAND  O'^ 
'2'  ,  •*;   '   L   r°OOD  FORTLSC 

■■.|      r-^S^ 

4^ 


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t  J- 


^ 


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^J— 


TABULA  NAUTICA. 

71(11  nitiirHriilaiitiir  oixie  marl- 
Ihiw  iiiratiix  uc/reta  mtcili'r  u 
tl.  llnilmimi  Ainjlii  ail  ciiiiriim 
s'ifjnt  \itruiu  Ftxnrhiut  fiulU' 
ija(u  Aiittu  riii'. 


MAI'  (IK  IIK.NRY   Ml'DSON  S  DISCOVKRIKS  — HAKl.UYT  SOCIETY. 

A  summary  mention  of  the  early  voyages  we  also 
find  in  the  records  of  the  Hakluyt  Society: 

"  Hudson  s  Strait  had  been  discovered  by  Sebastian 
Cal)Ot  in  1498.     The  Portuguese  had  sailed  through  it 


fif 


58 


THE  GEOGRAPHICAL  EVOLUTION  OF  LABRADOR. 


u 


I  I:  ill 


:il! 


1   '. 


and  had  become  acquainted  with  part  of  Hudson's  Bay 
between  1558  and  1569.  In  1577  Frobisher  had  by 
chance  entered  the  strait.  In  1602  Weymouth  had 
sailed  nearly  a  hundred  leagues  into  it,  from  Hatton's 
Headland  to  the  neighborhood  of  Hope's  Advance  Bay. 

"  The  whole  eas^  coast  of  North  America,  from  38° 
north  to  the  mouth  of  Hudson's  Strait,  had  been  sur- 
veyed by  Sebastian  Cabot  in  1498,  and  part  of  it  before, 
in  1497,  by  his  father  and  him.  Others  had  redisco\ 
ered  various  parts.  Thus  the  east  of  Newfoundland  had 
been  explored  by  Cortereal  in  1501  ;  the  south  coast, 
by  some  fishers  from  Normandy  and  Brittany  in  1 504 
and  1508.  The  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  had  also 
been  visited  by  Cortereal  and  by  these  French  mariners. 
The  river,  nearly  up  to  the  lakes,  and  all  the  surround- 
ing country,  had  been  thoroughly  explored  by  Jacques 
Cartier  in  1534  and  1535,  and  afterwards  by  Roberval 
and  Cartier. 

"  The  Sandbanks  near  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Laivrence^ 
and  the  fishing-stations  along  the  Newfoundland  coast, 
were  frequented  by  the  English,  Portuguese,  French, 
and  Spaniards."     (H.  Hudson,  Hakluyt  Soc.  cxliv.) 

After  Henry  Hudson's  voyage,  no  further  explora- 
tions were  made  of  the  Labrador  coast,  so  far  as  we  can 
ascertain,  until  the  time  of  rear-Admiral  Bayfield,  of  the 
British  Navy,  who,  during  the  years  181 5  to  1827,  sur- 
veyed and  mapped  this  coast  as  well  as  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  and  Newfoundland.  His  researches  are  em- 
bodied in  the  English  Admiralty  charts,  from  which  the 
maps  of  the  Labrador  peninsula  in  use  up  to  about  1880 
are  copied.  Of  the  advances  lately  made  by  British  and 
Moravian  surveys  mention  has  previously  been  made. 


i  1 


LABRADOR    A    LAND    OF   MYSTERY. 


59 


To  most  readers  the  Labrador  coast  is  still  a  Meta 
Incognita,  an  Ultima  Thule,  a  land  of  mystery,  shrouded 
by  fog  and  gloom.  The  ordinary  knowledge  of  it  is  as 
vague  anu  indefinite  as  in  the  times  of  Cabot.  The 
period  when  accurate  charts  of  this  intricate  coast  with 
its  ter'S  of  thousands  of  islands,  skiers,  and  ledges  will  be 
made,  seems  far  distant.  Local  pilots  and  fishermen 
from  Newfoundland,  Nova  Scotia,  and  at  times  from  the 
United  States,  with  an  occasional  Newfoundland  or 
Canadian  steamer,  ply  over  regularly  beaten  routes,  but 
owing  to  the  lack  of  commercial  interest  in  these  barren, 
almost  deserted  shores,  the  coast  will  for  years  still  re- 
main well-nigh  beyond  the  pale  of  modern  interests  and 
thoughts. 

In  time  the  Indian  and  Eskimos  will  be  a  people  dead 
and  forgotten.  The  Moravian  settlements  will  be  aban- 
doned. Already,  owing  to  the  decrease  in  the  cod  fish- 
ery, famine  and  want  are  slowly  but  surely  reducing  by 
removal  and  death  the  numbers  of  the  lingering  white 
poi)ulation,  and  the  coast  will  be  still  more  desolate  and 
lonely  than  now. 

And  yet  this  coast  stands  like  a  protecting,  guardian 
wall  between  the  frozen  north  and  the  more  temperate, 
inhabitable  regions  south  and  west.  Its  unexplored  bays 
and  rivers  will  always  remain  full  of  interest  to  our  ad- 
venturous yachtsmen,  as  well  as  to  the  naturalist,  the 
sportsman,  and  traveller. 


i 


d 


i 


1:1  I 


r.  1 


1  I: 


It! '51 


CHAPTER   IV. 


LIFE  AND  NATURE  IN  SOUTHERN  LABRADOR. 


If  i'li 
■I    ' 


•'  i'  '■:> 


!!;i! 


,1    l!   l''l 


»» 


I!:!! 


i:  -' 


:l'' 


ill! 


The  following  recollections  of  our  student  days  are 
offered  with  the  suggestion  that  the  more  adventuresome 
of  our  college  boys  of  the  present  day  might  spend  to 
advantage  the  long  summer  vacation  in  cruising  on  our 
northern  coasts,  and  combine  in  agreeable  proportions 
science  and  travel. 

In  the  summer  of  i860,  while  a  student  in  Bowdoin 
College,  I  joined  the  WiUiams  College  expedition  to 
Labrador  and  Greenland  under  the  charge  of  Professor 
P.  A.  Chadbourne.  June  27th  found  us  on  board  the 
Nautihis^  a  staunch  schooner  of  about  140  tons,  com- 
manded by  Capt.  Randlett.  Soon  after  five  o'clock  of 
a  bright,  fresh  morning  our  vessel  cast  off  from  the  wharf 
at  Thomaston,  Me.  The  Thomaston  band  played  a 
lively  air,  a  clergyman  made  a  parting  address,  calling 
down  the  blessings  of  Heaven  upon  the  argonauts ;  our 
Nestor  replied,  the  students  cheering- for  the  citizens  of 
Thomaston  and  the  band,  and  with  a  favoring  northwest 
wind  the  Nautihis,  gliding  down  the  current  of  the  St. 
George's  River,  a  deep  fiord,  in  a  couple  of  hours  reached 
the  open  sea. 

Our  course  lay  inside  of  Monhegan,  with  its  high,  bold 
sea-wall.     Passing  on,  the  Camden  Hills  recede,  and  we 

endeavor  with  the  glass  to  make  out  the  White  Moun 

60 


THE   NEWFOUNDLAND   COAST. 


6l 


tains,  said  by  some  to  have  been  seen  by  Weymouth  from 
inside  of  Monhegan.  The  ocean  swell  not  being  con- 
ducive to  historical  controversy,  we  turn  to  watch  the 
Mother  Carey's  chickens  and  the  grampus  as  well  as  the 
fin-back  whales  sporting  in  the  waves. 

By  the  next  morning  we  had  sailed  190  miles  from 
Thomaston,  past  Cape  Sable,  and  our  northwest  wind 
still  attending,  we  bowl  along,  through  schools  of  por- 
poise, while  two  or  three  whales  pass  within  a  few 
fathoms  of  our  vessel,  showing  their  huge  whitish  backs. 
The  next  day  our  seven-knot  breeze  does  not  fail  us, 
and  takes  us  by  the  30th  into  a  region  of  light  winds  and 
calms  off  the  Gut  of  Canso. 

July  I  St  we  sail  along  Cape  Breton  Island,  its  red 
shores  glistening  in  the  noonday  sun  and  then  mantled 
with  purple  as  the  sun  goes  down  over  Louisbourg.  As 
darkness  sets  in  the  lights  of  Sidney  appear.  The  next 
morning's  sun  rose  on  Cape  Ray,  around  which  we  beat, 
passing  within  a  mile  of  Channels,  a  fishing-village  of 
Newfoundland,  behind  which  rise  steep  hills  clothed 
with  "  tucking-bush,"  or  dwarf  spruce  and  larch.  Cape 
Ray  pushes  boldly  into  the  sea,  its  precipitous  sides  of 
decomposed  sandstone  furrowed  by  the  rains  which  pour 
down  it^  carred  cheeks,  on  which  still  linger  banks  of 
the  last  winter's  snows. 

By  the  next  evening  we  pass  Cape  St.  Georges.  The 
4th  was  celebrated  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  amid 
fog  and  rain.  It  was  succeeded  by  a  twenty-four  hours' 
gale,  rather  severe  for  the  season,  which  tested  the  excel- 
lent qualities  of  the  Nautilus  as  a  sea  boat.  This  being 
our  first  storm  at  sea  was  enjoyed  more  keenly  than  sim- 
ilar gales  in  after-years.     The  sea  swept  our  deck,   but 


^ '  1 


■  :    I 


62 


LIKE   AND   NATURE   IN   SOUTHERN    LABRADOR. 


I        ! 

<    I 


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I' 


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I'  ' 


11: 

h 
1^ 


only  a  few  drops  entered  the  cabin.  The  experience 
was  novel  and  interesting  ;  fortunately  we  were  not  sea- 
sick ;  the  long  waves  sloped  up  like  far-reaching  hills ; 
sea-birds  rode  on  their  crests,  and  the  wind,  like  a  swarm 
of  furies,  tore  through  our  rigging.  There  were  but  oc- 
casional glimpses  from  the  companion-way  of  our  dark, 
close  cabin,  redolent  with  the  stench  of  the  bilge-water. 
The  storm  abated  after  sunset,  and  the  morning  of  the 
6th  found  us  only  fifty  miles  from  Caribou  Island. 
Towards  noon  the  first  iceberg  was  seen  ;  others  came 
into  view,  some  stranded,  others  floating  on  the  sea. 

The  evening  was  a  glorious  one ;  after  a  gorgeous 
sunset,  the  twilight  lasting  until  after  ten  o'clock,  the 
moon  rose  upon  berg  and  sea.  We  were  in  an  arctic 
ocean;  creatures  born  in  the  Greenland  seas  floated  past 
our  vessel,  and  while  becalmed  at  night  we  fished  up 
from  a  depth  of  sixty  or  seventy  fathoms  a  basket  star- 
fish {Astrophyton  ai^assizii^  large  enough  to  cover  the 
bottom  of  a  pail. 

The  impressions  made  on  our  minds  the  next  day  as 
we  approached  the  coast  and  passed  in  shore,  winding 
through  the  labyrinth  of  islands  fringing  the  main  land, 
are  ineff'aceable.  That  and  other  days  in  Southern 
Labrador  are  stamped  indelibly  on  our  mind.  It  was 
passing  from  the  temperate  zone  into  the  life  and  nature 
of  the  arctic  regions.  There  is  a  strange  commingling 
of  life-forms  in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle :  the  flora  and 
fauna  of  the  boreal  regions  struggling,  as  it  were,  to  dis- 
place the  arctic  forms  established  on  these  shores  since 
the  ice  period,  when  Labrador  was  mantled  in  perennial 
snow  and  ice,  when  the  great  auk,  the  walrus,  and  the 
narwhal  abounded  in  the  waters  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 


iiii 


m: 


THE    LABRADOR    FLORA. 


63 


rencti,  and  the  Greenland  flora,  represented  by  the 
Arenaria  groeiilandica,  the  dwarf  cranberry,  and  the 
curlew-berry  or  black  Empetrum,  nestled  among  the 
snow  and  ice  of  the  glacier-ridden  hills. 

We  landed  on  the  morning  of  July  7th,  and  I  was 
astonished  at  the  richness  of  the  arctic  flora  which  car- 
peted the  more  level  portions  of  the  island.  Groves  of 
dwarfed  alders,  over  which  one  could  look  while  sitting 
down,  crowded  the  sides  of  the  valleys,  watered  by  rills 
of  pure  ice-cold  water.  The  groves  of  spruce  and  hack- 
matack were  of  the  same  lilliputian  height.  In  the 
glades  of  these  dwarfed  forests  and  scattered  over  the 
moss-covered  rocks  and  bogs  were  Cornns  canadensis, 
two  varieties  in  flower  ;  Kalmia  glavca  was  in  profusion, 
as  attractive  a  flower  as  any  ;  the  curlew-berry  {Em- 
petrum nignmt),  the  dwarf  cranberry,  with  other  flow- 
ers and  grasses  characteristic  of  the  arctic  and  Alpine 
regions.  Particularly  noticeable  were  the  clumps  of 
dwarf  willow  from  six  inches  to  a  foot  in  height,  now  in 
flower  and  visited  by  the  arctic  humble-bee  and  other 
wild  bees.  Other  insects  of  subarctic  and  arctic  types 
were  numerous,  among  them  a  geometrid  moth  {Rheu- 
maptcra  hastata),  which  extends  from  the  Alps  and 
snow-fields  of  Lapland  around  through  Greenland  and 
Labrador  to  the  mountain  regions  of  Maine,  New 
Hampshire,  northern  New  York,  Colorado,  and  Alaska. 
The  flies,  beetles,  and  other  forms  had  an  arctic  aspect, 
showing  that  on  the  shores  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle 
the  insect  fauna  is  largely  tinged  with  circumpolar 
forms. 

On  the  7th  of  July  our  party  of  seven  men  landed, 
lodged  in  a  Sibley  tent,  and  the  Nautilus  left  us  for  the 


.'  ii 


i  ii 


I  ■III 


«4 


r.IFE    AND    NATURE    IN   SOUTHERN    LABRADOR. 


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Greenland  seas  with  the  majority  of  our  party.  Our 
tent,  provisions,  and  baggage  becoming  soaked  with  the 
rain  and  dampness,  two  days  after,  we  moved  over  to 
Caribou  Island  and  built  a  house  of  Canada  clapboards, 
kindly  loaned  for  the  purpose  by  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Car- 
penter, missionary  to  Southern  Labrador,  for  whom  a 
large  frame  house,  sheltering  under  its  roof  a  chapel, 
study,  and  living-rooms,  was  building. 

A  Canadian  clapboard  is  twelve  inches  long  and  six 
inches  wide  ;  with  these  and  a  few  joists  two  of  the 
party  built  a  house  twelve  feet  square,  which  sheltered 
us  from  the  sun  and  the  black  flies,  and  only  leaked 
when  it  stormed,  which  happened  regularly  twice  a 
week,  usually  Wednesdays  and  Sundays.  Six  berths 
were  put  up  on  the  north  side  (the  seventh  man  was 
accommodated  in  the  mission-house) ;  a  wide  board 
placed  on  two  flour-barrels  at  the  west  end  served  as  a 
dining  and  study  table,  and  in  the  southeast  corner  a 
little  stove,  not  over  fifteen  inches  square,  with  a  funnel 
whose  elbow,  projecting  out-of-doors,  had  to  be  turned 
with  every  change  of  wind,  was  the  focus,  the  modern- 
ized hearthstone,  over  which  hung  our  Lares  and 
Penates,  sundry  hams  and  pieces  of  dried  beef,  pieces-dt- 
resistance  of  our  rrteals,  often  alleviated  by  game  and 
fish,  clams  and  scallops  or  pussels  {Pecten  magellanicus), 
with  entrees  of  seal  and  whale  flesh.  How  we  college 
boys  cooked  and  ate,  rambled  and  slept  in  those  seven 
weeks  of  subarctic  life  is  a  subject  of  pleasant  memory. 
They  were  days  of  rare  pleasure,  of  continuous  health, 
and  formed  an  experience  whose  value  lasted  through 
our  future  lives.  We  made  hunting,  ornithological, 
entomological,  botanical,  and  dredging  expeditions  in  all 


Our 
ith  the 
)ver  to 
boards, 
'.  Car- 
hom  a 
chapel, 

and  six 
of  the 

eltered 
leaked 

:vvice  a 
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board 

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lodern- 

js  and 
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college 
seven 
emory. 
health, 
hrough 
ogical, 
in  all 


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lli 


11 


fil 


IHK    LAHKADOR    FLORA. 


65 


directions,  bv  sea  and  land  ;  the  geology  and  the  tiora 
and  fauna  were  explored  with  zeal,  and  resulted  in  the 
discovery  of  many  new  forms  and  the  detection  of 
y\ipine  and  arctic  European  species  before  unknown  to 
this  continent.  We  investigated  the  Quaternary  for- 
mation, ice  marks,  drift  and  fossil  shells;  procured 
fossils  of  the  Cambrian  red  sandstone  beds,  chiefly 
a  sponge  (a  new  species  of  Arclupocyatlms),  which 
were  scattered  along  the  shore,  probably  derived  from 
the  red  sandstone  strata  so  well  developed  at  Bradore, 
also  visited  by  some  of  our  party.  The  results  were 
perhaps  of  some  importance  to  science,  but  the  lessons 
in  natural  science  we  learned  were  of  far  greater  moment 
to  ourselves. 

The  coast  of  Labrador  is  fringed  with  islands,  large 
and  small,  from  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  to  Hud- 
son's Strait.  A  sailboat  can  go  with  safety  from  one 
point  to  the  other,  and  only  occasionally  will  be  exposed 
to  the  ocean  swell.  These  islands  are  the  exact  counter- 
part of  each  other,  differing  mainly  only  in  size  and 
altitude.  Caribou  Island  was  two  or  three  miles  in 
length,  formed  of  Laurentian  gneiss,  which  had  been 
worn  and  molded  by  glaciers.  Its  scenic  features  re- 
called those  of  the  more  rugged  portions  of  the  coast  of 
Maine,  particularly  in  Penobscot  Bay  and  Mt.  Desert. 
'J'he  higher  portion  of  the  island  is  of  bare  rounded 
rock,  with  deep  valleys  or  fissures  down  which  run  little 
rills ;  these  valleys  are  dense  with  ferns,  shelter  many 
insects,  and  where  they  widen  out  into  the  lower  land 
support  a  growth  of  dwarf  spruce,  hackmatack  and  wil- 
low. In  the  more  protected  parts  a  few  poplars  and 
mountain-ash  rise  to  a  height  of  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet. 


1 1 


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ll 


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.MMt,! 


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Jil 


C.I 

•■I 


66 


LIKK    AM)    NATURK    IN    SOUTllEkN    LAHKAUOK. 


The  Alpine  vegetation  is  mostly  confined  to  the  exposed 
bog«ry  |)laces  or  moors,  in  which  are  pools  of  water, 
supporting  water-boatmen,  ease-worms,  aquatic  beetles 
and  numerous  watcr-Heas,  and  an  occasional  hair-worm 
or  Oordius. 

Along  the  lower  portions  l)y  the  shores  are  patches 
of  salt  marsh  with  shallow  pools  of  water,  which  in  the 
spring  and  autumn  are  undoubtedly  frequented  by  ducks 
and  geese,  though  only  a  few  of  the  former  were  to  be 
seen.  Indeed,  I  was  surprised  to  see  so  few  sea-fowl. 
The)  were  principally  the  parroquet,  which  abounded  on 
the  sea  a  mile  or  two  away  from  shore.  A  favorite 
breeding-place  of  this  most  interesting  of  arctic  birds 
was  in  the  soft  red  Cambrian  sandstone  of  Biadore,  an 
island  lying  fifteen  miles  easterly  from  Caribou  Island. 
With  their  powerful  parrot-like  beaks  they  excavate  the 
crumbling  rock,  extending  their  galleries  in  to  the  dis- 
tance of  several  feet.  Three  of  our  party  made  an  ex- 
pedition to  this  well-known  breeding-resort,  and  in 
thrusting  their  hands  into  the  burrows  received  an  occa- 
sional bite  from  the  sharp  strong  bills  of  the  birds  which 
was  not  soon  forgotten.  Ducks  were  occasionally  seen, 
the  eider-duck  and  also  the  coot,  as  well  as  the  loon, 
both  the  northern  diver  and  the  red-necked  loon.  Shore- 
birds,  particularly  the  ring-necked  plover,  and  others  of 
its  family,  abounded,  while  the  most  familiar  bird  was  a 
white-headed  sparrow  which  nested  near  our  camp. 

It  was  not  yet  the  time  for  the  curlews.  About  the 
middle  of  |ulv  the  sheldrake  and  coot,  which  breed  in 
the  inland  ponds,  lead  out  their  young  and  appear  in 
great  numbers.  The  old  ones  are  wary  and  hard  to 
shoot,  but  the  voung  will  then  be  in  fine  condition.     At 


MOUNTAINEER    INDIANS. 


67 


this  time  the  "  'longshoremen"  abandon  their  diet  of 
salt  pork,  bread  and  molasses,  and  feast  on  game,  for 
then,  we  were  assured,  they  have  "great  plenty  fowl." 

In  August,  also,  one  or  two  families  of  the  red  Indians 
or  Mountaineers  of  the  interior  come  down  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Esquimaux,  or  '*  Hawskimaw"  River,  as  it  is  pro- 
nounced by  the  settlers,  to  hunt  seal,  especially  the 
young,  and  Jucks  as  well  as  curlew.  These  Indians  are 
entirely  governed  in  their  wandering  by  the  situation  of 
the  deer  and  other  game.  One  may  travel  a  hundred 
miles  up  the  Esquimaux  River  without  meeting  them. 

I  saw  but  a  single  Esquimau  man  at  Caribou  Island. 
His  low  stature,  his  prominent,  angular  cheek-bones, 
pentagonal  face,  and  straight  black  hair  sufficiently  char- 
acterized his  stock.  The  only  other  native  Escjuimau 
was  the  wife  of  an  Englishman,  John  Goddard,  the 
"  King  of  Labrador,"  who  lived  on  a  point  of  land  three 
miles  west  of  Caribou  Island.  She  was  a  famous  hunter, 
would  go  out  in  a  boat,  shoot  a  seal  and  dress  it,  making 
boots  and  moccasins  from  the  skin.  Whether  these 
Esquimaux  had  strayed  down  from  the  north  or,  as  I 
suspect,  were  the  remnants  of  their  people  who  may 
have  inhabited  the  entire  coast  from  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  the  arctic  regions,  deserves  further  investi- 
gation. 

Few  mammals  were  to  be  seen.  The  deer  and  cari- 
bou were  confined  to  the  mainland.  On  our  island  was 
a  white  fox,  or  rather  a  blue  one,  for  his  summer  pelage 
was  of  a  slate-color.  His  burrow  was  situated  in  a  hill- 
side behind  our  house.  He  would  prowl  about  our 
camp  at  night,  and  he  might  have  known  that  it  was  un- 
safe to  come  within  reach  of  our  guns.      His  skin  un- 


I  ! 


!■• 


il  I 


6S 


1,1  IK    AM)    NAIIKI.    IN    SOUrHKRN    I.AHKADOU. 


'm 


if' 


(loubtedly  adorns  the  museum  of  the  Lyceum  ot  Nat- 
ural History  of  Williams  College. 

A  weasel  also  visited  our  camp.  The  otter  fre(juents 
the  brooks  at  the  head  of  Salmon  and  Esquimaux  rivers. 
In  winter  they  rarely  come  outside,  /,<•.,  to  the  coast. 

It  Is  well  known  that  in  Newfoundland  the  bears, 
especially  those  living  near  shore,  will  eat  lish,  their  diet 
being  mixed,  and  such  bears  are  more  savage  than  those 
in  the  interior,  which  live  chieHy  on  berries  and  ants. 
While  on  Caribou  Island  a  fisherman  living  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  us  had  his  sea-trout  nets  invaded  by  two  old 
bears  accompanied  by  a  young  one  ;  at  low  water  they 
would  walk  out  to  the  nets,  tearing  them  apart  in  order 
to  eat  the  fish. 

We  were  told  that  a  Mr.  Hay  ward,  an  Englishman 
who  lives  at  a  distance  of  two  miles  across  the  bay,  had 
about  ten  years  since  shot  the  last  polar-bear  seen  on  this 
coast. 

Speaking  of  trout,  there  are  two  kinds  :  one  living  in 
the  brooks  and  lakes,  the  other  the  sea-trout,  a  handsome 
lish  about  twelve  inches  in  length,  whose  food  we  found 
consisted  of  a  surface-swimming  marine  shrimp,  the 
Mysis  oculata,  which  lives  in  immense  shoals.  The  sea- 
trout  is  taken  in  nets,  and  so  far  as  we  experimented  do 
not,  in  salt  water,  rise  to  the  fly. 

Although  it  was  now  the  15th  of  July,  the  warmer 
summer  weather  had  not  yet  come,  we  were  told  by  the 
people  on  shore.  There  is,  however,  scarcely  any  spring 
in  Labrador.  The  rivers  open  and  the  snow  disappears 
by  the  loth  of  June  as  a  rule,  and  then  the  short  summer 
is  at  once  ushered  in. 

Potatoes,  and   especially   turnips,  are    raised   without 


LABRADOR    BUTTERFLIES. 


69 


much  difficulty  as  far  north  as  Caribou  Island.  Rhu- 
barb is  said  to  do  well  farther  up  the  coast  towards  the 
Mecatina  Ishmds.  Aniong  the  wild-Howers  bloomiufi 
in  the  middle  of  July  were  the  dandelion  and  Potcntilla 
anserina.  Another  Potent  ilia  was  ihe  /'.  truicntata, 
the  mountain  trident,  with  its  three-toothed  leaf  and 
modest  white  flower.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  this  llower, 
so  familiar  from  my  earliest  childhood,  as  it  flourishes 
on  the  plains  of  IJrunswick,  Me.,  and  is  common  on 
Mt.  Washington  as  well  as  on  the  mountains  of  Maine, 
and  abounds  on  the  bare  spots  about  Moosehead  Lake, 
particularly  at  the  foot  of  Mt.  Kineo.  The  wild  cur- 
rant, strawberry,  and  raspberry  were  in  flower;  the  straw- 
berry plants  were  luxuriant,  sometimes  eight  inches  in 
height,  but  the  raspberries  were  dwarfed,  not  exceeding 
the  strawberry  in  height.  Up  the  rivers  the  raspberries 
and  blackberries  are  abundant,  but  the  latter  low  and 
dwarfish. 

The  shad  bush  {^Anic  lane  hie  r  eanadensis)  was  now  in 
flower,  blossoming  in  southern  New  England  in  April 
or  early  May,  while  Rtibus  ehanueviorusy  the  cloud-berry, 
so  abundant  in  Greenland  and  Arctic  America  as  well  as 
on  the  fields  of  Norway  and  Sweden,  and  the  "  tundras" 
of  Siberia,  was  going  out  of  flower.  With  it  were  asso- 
ciated the  star-flower,  Trientalis  aviericana,  a  few  Clin- 
foniii  borcalis,  Smilaeina  bifoliata  and  probably  ^S".  stellata, 
Streptopus  ainplcxi folia  ;  one  or  two  species  of  Andro- 
meda ;  an  Iris,  species  of  Vaccinium,  \\\q  Arctostapliylus 
uva-ursi  or  bear-berry ;  the  shore-pea,  a  honeysuckle 
{Lonieera  coeridea),  a  Viburnum,  and  also  the  buckbean 
( Menyanthes  trifoliata). 

Among    the    flowers    fluttered    the    white    butterfly 


f  Mil 

I 


Ml 

:    I      ! 


11 


i  iiii! 


jilii  , 


iM'l''' 


i ;: :! 


Ml'  (, 


"    El 


70 


III'K    AiNM)    NAIUKE    IN    SOUTHERN    LABRADOR. 


{Pier  is  frigid  a),  a  Col i as  lahradorensis,  Ar^i^ynnis  tricla- 
ris,  and  some  g-eonictrid  moths,  while  a  few  owlet  moths 
ttevv  out  of  the  grass  at  the  late  twihght,  which  now 
lasted  until  near  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  wiicn  fine  print 
could  be  read. 

We  were  told  that  the  average  tem|)eralure  in  June 
here  is  48°,  that  of  July  56".  In  the  warmer  days  of 
summer  the  thermometer  rises  from  64'  to  68°,  rarely  to 
70'.  July  17th  was  one  of  the  warmest  and  most  pleas- 
ant days  of  the  month;  the  temperature  was  60°  F.  The 
2ist,  however,  was  much  warmer,  the  thermometer 
being  72'  F. 

July  i<Sth  was  the  day  of  the  eclipse ;  the  sun  was  ob- 
scured in  the  forenoon  ;  the  light  of  day  vv^as  much  modi- 
fied, though  not  approaching  twilight.  The  steamer 
which  we  saw  on  the  day  of  the  storm  in  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  was  without  doubt  that  which  bore  the  Coast 

Survey  eclipse  party  to  Cape 
Chidley,  where  the  eclipse  was 
total. 

After  roaming  over  the  island 
and  making  pretty  full  collections 
of  the  insects,  we  paid  attention 
to  the  marine  zoology.  Shore 
collectinsf  is  not  as  remunerative 
in  Labrador  as  on  the  Maine  and 
Massachusetts  coasts.  The  most 
noticeable  form  is  the  six-rayed 
starfish  (^Asteracanihion  polar  is), 
which  sometimes  measured 
twenty  inches  from  tip  to  tip  of 
its  opposing  rays  ;  its  color  was  a  dirty  yellowish  white. 


PELICAN  S    I'OOT    SHEl.r. 


\5ARINK    I.IFK. 


71 


not  red  as  in  the  common  five-finger,  also  abundant. 
The  polar  star-fish  is  common  in  Greenland,  and  is  a 
truly  arctic  form. 

The  common  crah  (Ca/uer  /rrora/a)  ircquently  oc- 
curred under  stones,  but  the  lobster  was  neither  seen  nor 
heard  of  ;  though  common  on  the  southern  shores  of 
Newfoundland  it  does  not  reach  north  into  the  Strait  of 
ik'ile  Isle.  Among  the  worms  which  occurred  at  low- 
water  mark  was  the  Pectinaria.  On  the  New  England 
coast  it  only  occurs  in  deep  water  below  tide  mark. 

Drcdgings  were  first  made  at  the  mouth  of  Salmon 
River,  a  few  rods  from  shore,  in  some  eight  fathoms  of 
water  in  a  firm  deep  mud.  The  most  characteristic 
shells  were  gigantic  Apkrodite  t^ircenlajidica,  large  c(jck- 
les  {Cardiuni  islandicum),  as  well  as  the  pelican's  foot 
{Aporrhais  occide?itcilis),  which  occurred  of  good  size 
and  in  profusion.  In  the  soft  mud  occurred  nmltitudes 
of  the  neat  little  sand  star  {Opkioglypha  nodosa).  An- 
other form  dredged  on  rocky  bottom  was  Cynthia  pyri- 
formis,  or  the  sea  peach,  and  large  specimens  were  cast 
up  by  the  waves  on  the  beach.  Every  spare  day  was 
given  to  dredging,  and  having  been  deeply  interested  in 
marine  zoology  by  the  writings  of  Gosse,  in  f^ngland, 
and  of  Stimpson  in  this  country,  and  having  obtained  a 
good  idea  of  the  local  marine  fauna  (jf  Casco  Bay,  in 
Maine,  it  was  with  no  little  interest  and  expectation 
that  we  dropped  the  dredge  in  arctic  waters,  and  we 
were  not  a  little  delighted  with  the  result  of  finding  so 
near  shore  and  in  such  shallow  water,  forms  which  off 
the  coast  of  Maine,  in  deep  water,  were  rare  and  usually 
but  half  grown. 

July  25th  a   j)artv  of  us  rowed   up   Salmon    Bay  and 


il    'I! 


■     i, 
'1. 


n  ill 


n 


1 1'l/ 


1 1,1  i 


:'l ' 


72 


I.IFK    AND    NATrKK    IN    SOUIMKKN     l,Al',KA  UOK. 


went  a  mile  up  the  river.  The  tide  was  out  and  wc 
looked  for  the  fresh-water  mussel  (A /asmodon  arcuata), 
which  is  our  northernmost  species,  and  inhabits  tht- 
rivers  of  southern  Newfoundland.  We  could  find 
none,  although  the  settlers  told  us  that  mussels,  clams, 
and  "oysters"  were  common  enough  in  the  river.  But 
something  better  was  discovered.  We  found  traces  of 
genuine  Quaternary  marine  sands  and  clays  containing 
fossils.  There  were  several  banks  of  sand  and  clay  along 
the  edges  of  the  river.  In  the  latter  I  found  Aphrodite 
orcenlandica  and  Aporrhais  occidentalism  with  BiHcifium 
iindatuni.  They  had  been  washed  out  of  the  clay  i  *to 
the  bed  of  the  river,  and  were  collected  at  low-watt^-. 
I  also  dug  several  inches  into  the  clay  bank  and  found 
the  disintegrated  shells  of  the  Aphrodite,  so  is  u«  leave 
no  doubt  but  that  the  shells  were  fossils.  Down  at  the 
mouth  of  the  stream  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  on  the  Hats,  I 
found  several  Biucinmn  undattim,  and  quite  a  number  of 
Aporrhais,  young  and  old,  broken  and  entire.  On  each 
side  of  the  river  was  a  terrace  of  sand  and  clay,  with  a 
tliick  growth  of  alders  and  willows,  with  the  fire-weed 
{  Epilohiuni  august  if olizim),  the  golden-rod  and  a  large 
cruciferous  plant  common  in  the  mountainous  parts  of 
New  England  ;  also  Couiarum  palustre,  and  a  llialic- 
triim.  Farther  back  and  mostly  lining  the  banks  was 
a  dense  growth,  impossible  to  penetrate  save  occasion- 
ally where  there  was  a  break  in  the  thicket  of  spruce 
and  birch,  perhaps  Betula  populifolia.  Still  farther  up 
and  away  back  stretched  the  bare  moss-cov^ered  hill- 
tops, the  summer-resort  of  deer  and  caribou.  Here  we 
saw  a  ptarmigan.  But  this  was  one  of  our  halcyon 
days,  of  which  there  were  few,  as  the  last  two  weeks  of 


11'    IHE    KS()UIMAU\    RIVKk. 


n 


Jul  were  stormy  and  wet.  The  clear  fair-weather  winds 
were  from  the  southwest;  the  southeast  winds  brought 
in  the  fog  and  rain,  while  the  northerly  winds  brought 
a  few  curlew,  the  advance-guard  of  the  hosts  which  were 
to  arrive  early  in  August. 

The  3d  of  August  was  a  fine  day.  v\  party  of  us 
went  up  the  Es(|uimaux  River  to  Mrs.  Chevalier's,  whose 
husband,  now  dead,  entertained  Audubon  when  visiting 
this  coast.  The  sail  up  the  river  was  a  pleasant  one. 
It  was  about  three  miles  from  its  mouth  to  an  expansion 
of  the  river  on  whose  shores  were  four  or  five  winter 
houses.  Although  most  of  the*  settlers  live  cr  the  coast 
through  the  year,  some  have  their  winter  and  summer 
houses.  Those  who  live  up  the  interior,  sometimes  a 
distance  of  seventy  miles  from  the  coast,  where  there  is 
wood  and  game,  move  from  the  shore  about  the  20th  of 
October.  They  spend  a  month  in  cutting  wood,  a  fam- 
ily burning  through  the  winter  about  thirty  cords. 
Then  succeeds  a  month  of  hunting  and  trapping.  The 
snow  does  not  come,  we  were  told,  until  the  last  of  De- 
cember, although  we  should  judge  this  to  be  an  extreme 
statement,  and  the  snow  is  not  usually  more  than  three 
feet  deep.  The  people  profess  to  like  the  winter  better 
than  the  summer.  riiey  shoot  deer,  foxes,  etc.,  black 
fox  being  sometimes  secured,  whose  skin  is  worth  be- 
tween two  and  three  hundred  dollars.  Grouse  are 
abundant,  a  good  hunter  securing  from  sixty  to  seventy 
a  day  in  favorable  seasons.  At  any  rate  fresh  meat  is 
obtained  for  each  family  two  or  three  times  a  week. 

The  houses  are  small,  built  of  wood,  boarded  and 
shingled,  seldom  constructed  of  logs,  and  are  heated  by 
j)eculiar  stoves,  great  square  structures  resembling  Dutch 


!  I; 


WW 


.! 


:Mi ' :  ^ 


y  1'  \ 


f'jii  ii  i/'' 


n     ■    i    :fV 


1:1; 


Mm  Ii' 


74 


LIFE    AND    NATUKK    IN    SOUTHERN    l-ABRAI)OU. 


Stoves,  and  heating  the  whole  house,  the  two  living- 
rooms  opening  into  each  other;  the  stove  being  placed 
partly  in  each,  the  partition  between  the  two  rooms  be- 
ing cut  away  to  admit  the  stove. 

The  French  residents  at  the  Mecatina  Islands,  more 
social  and  gayer  than  the  phlegmatic  English  settlers 
about  the  mouth  of  the  Esquimaux  and  Salmon  rivers, 
spend  the  winter  evening  in  dancing  and  other  gayeties 
to  which  the  Anglo-Saxon,  in  Labrador  at  least,  is  a 
comparative  stranger. 

The  Esquimaux  River  at  its  eastern  entrance  is  but  a 
few  rods  wide.  Passing  Esquimaux  Island  we  sailed  out 
into  a  broad  bay  or  expansion  of  the  river,  with  ravines 
leading  down  to  it,  and  under  the  steep  bank  protected 
from  the  northerly  winds  were  the  winter  houses  pro 
viously  described.  Up  the  river,  just  beyond  Mrs.  Chev- 
alier's, the  river  contracted  into  narrows  with  rapids  ;  it 
then  opened  into  another  bay  or  expansion  two  miles 
wide,  the  river  being  a  succession  of  lakes  connected  by 
rapids,  and  this  is  typical  of  the  rivers  and  streams  of  the 
[.abrador  peninsula.  A  barge  cannot  sail  up  the  Esqui- 
maux River  more  than  fifteen  miles,  although  one  can 
push  farther  on  in  a  ilat  boat.  VVe  were  told  that  the 
river  is  about  two  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  although 
perhaps  the  largest  in  Labrador  it  has  never  been  ex- 
plored. 

Here  we  met  the  black  flics  in  full  force,  and  ai- 
thougii  *ve  had  been  fearfully  annoyed  by  them  in  ram- 
bling over  Caribou  Island,  here  they  were  astounding, 
both  for  numbers  and  voracity.  The  black  fly  lives  dur- 
ing its  early  stages  in  running  water.  The  insect  finds 
nowhere  in  the  world  such  favorable  conditions  for  its 


'"""fflp'iTr 


UP   rnK  KS()inM.\ux  river. 


75 


ircrease  as  in  Labrador,  over  a  third  of  whose  surfacf  is 
iriven  up  to  ponds  and  streams.  The  insides  of  the  win- 
dows of  Mrs.  Chevalier's  house  swarmed  with  these 
fiends,  the  ehihiren's  faces  and  neci<s  were  exanthema- 
tous  with  their  bites  ;  the  very  d()<;s,  great  shaggy  New- 
foundlanders, would  run  howling  into  the  water  and  lie 
down  out  of  their  reach,  only  theil^  noses  above  the  sur- 
face. The  armies  of  black  flies  were  supported  by  light 
brigades  of  mosquitoes.  No  wonder  that  these  entomo- 
logical pests  are  a  ))erfect  barrier  to  inland  travel  ;  that 
few  {)eople  live  during  sunuuer  away  from  the  sweep  of 
the  high  winds  and  dwell  on  the  exposed  shores  of  the 
coast  to  escape  these  torments.  They  are  effectual  es- 
toppels to  inland  exploration  and  settlement. 

Accepting  our  hostess's  kind  invitation  to  take  dinner, 
we  sat  down  to  a  characteristic  Labrador  middav  meal 
of  dough  balls  swimming  in  a  deep  pot  of  grease  with 
lumps  of  salt  pork,  without  even  potatoes  or  any  des- 
sert ;  nor  did  there  seem  to  be  any  fresh  fish.  The  sta- 
ples are  bread  and  salt  pork  ;  the  luxuries  game  and 
fish ;  the  delicacies  an  occasional  mess  of  potatoes, 
brought  down  the  St.  Lawrence  once  a  year  in  Fortin's 
trading  schooner. 

Over  the  mantelpiece  was  a  stuffed  Canada  grouse  oi 
partridge  and  a  ptarmigan  in  its  winter  plumage  ;  but  1 
was  most  delighted  with  the  c:ift  of  some  Quaternary 
fossils  with  which  Mrs.  Chevalier  kindlv  ixcsented  me. 
including  large  specimens  of  Cardita  horcalis,  Apor- 
I'hais  occidcntaiis  and,  most  valuable  of  all,  the  valves  of 
a  i)rachiopod  shell,  which  I  had  alsc»  dredged  on  the 
coast  in  ten  fathoms,  the  HypotJiyris  psittacea.  On  our 
return   down    the    river  we  fished   uj)    the  valves   of   the 


Ml 


I 


;'■ 


!il 


i"t'r 


76 


J.IKK    AM»    NATUKK    IN    SOUTHERN    LAHRADOK. 


Pectcn  mage  Hani  CHS,  the  great  scallop  shell,  which  lives 
in  five  or  six  feet  of  water.  This  mollusc,  which  is  lo- 
cally known  in  Labrador  by  the  name  of  "  pussel,"  we 
afterwards  obtained  in  quantity,  fried  it  in  butter  and 
meal,  finding"  it  to  be  delicious  eating,  combining  the 
properties  of  the  clam  and  oyster,  the  single  large  ad- 
ductor muscle  being  far  more  tender  than  that  of  the 
common  scallop  of  southern  New  England  and  New 
York. 

With  our  man,  James  Mosier,  and  his  sailboat  we 
spent  two  days  in  dredging  in  from  forty  to  fifty  fathoms 
out  in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  three  or  four  miles  from 
land.  The  collection  was  a  valuable  one,  containing 
some  new  species.  The  crown  of  the  bank  which  we 
raked  with  our  poorly  constructed  dredge  was  packed 
with  starfish,  polyzoans  (including  a  coral-like  form,  or 
myriozoum),  ascidians,  shells,  worms,  and  Crustacea.  The 
collection  was  purely  arctic,  and  had  not  the  only  dredge 
I  had  become  broken,  we  should  have  reaped,  or  rather 
dredged,  a  rich  harvest.  As  it  was,  the  novelties  were 
(|uite  numerous,  and  the  interest  and  excitement,  as  well 
as  labor,  of  overhauling,  sorting,  and  preserving  what  we 
did  obtain  lasted  for  several  days. 

The  only  plant  besides  stony  vegetable  growths  called 
"nullipores"  dredged  at  this  depth  was  a  delicate  red 
sea-weed,  the  Ptilota  elegans,  which  was  found  after- 
wards to  extend  as  far  down  in  depth  as  ninety  fathoms. 
Those  who  glibly  talk,  on  terra  firma,  of  plant  life  as 
affording  a  basis  for  animal  life,  should  dredge  in  deep 
water.  They  will  find  that  a  vast  population  of  animals 
of  all  sorts  and  conditions  in  the  scale  of  life  is  spread 
at  all  depths  over  the  sea-bottom,  thriving  almost  with- 


DKElXilNG    IN    THE    STKAll'   OK   BELLK    ISLE. 


17 


out  exception  on  one  another — on  animal  protoplasm — 
and  in  the  beginning  of  creation  animal  life  was  without 
doubt  contemporaneous  in  appearance  with  vegetable 
existence.  Indeed,  what  is  the  difference  in  form  and 
structure  between  a  bacterium  and  a  moner  ?  The  two 
worlds  of  plant  and  animal  life  arise  from  the  same  base, 
a  common   foundation   of   simplest    structure,   showing 


A  Bkanciiing  Polyzoon.     Myriozoiim  <ul>;^raiil<\     I  Natural  si/i*.) 

none  of  the  distinctive  characteristics  of  animal  or  plant 
life,  and  only  barely  earning  the  right  to  be  called  or- 
ganisms, that  vague  term  we  apply  for  convenience  to 
any,  even  the  simplest  structures  endowed  with  life. 

Of  all  the  pleasures  of  a  naturalist's  existence,  dredg- 
ing has  been,  to  our  mind,  the  most  intense.  The  severe 
exertion,  the  swimming  brain,  the  qualms  of  sea-sick- 
ness, tired  arms  and  a  broken  back,  the  memory  of  all 
these  fade  away  at  the  sight  of  the  new  world  of  life,  or 
at  least  the  samples  of  such  a  world,  which  lie  wriggling 
and  sprawling  on  the  deck  of  the  sailbo.at,  or  sink  out  of 
sight  in  the  mud  and  ooze  of  the  dredge,  to  be  brought 


iil 


t*,. 


1         »   ii     I  . 


y'  til    I    '1  i 

Up  lU 


P  IS' 
1^       ! 


{,■ 


•  ■! 


f    i 


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■-;  ilii 


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k 

I 


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1 


I 


78 


1,IIK    AND    NATl'KK    IN    SOUIIIKKN    LAHKADOK. 


to  light  by  vigorous  dashes  of  water  drawn  in  over  the 
side  of  the  boat.  Those  days  of  dredging  on  the  Lab- 
rador coast,  where  there  was  such  an  abundance  and 
luxuriance  of  arctic  varieties,  vyere  days  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. There  is  a  nameless  charm,  to  our  mind,  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  far  north,  the  arctic  world, 
and  we  can  easily  appreciate  the  fascination  which  leads 
one  back  again  to  the  polar  regions,  even  if  hunger  and 
frost  had  once  threatened  life.  Arctic  exploration  has 
but  begun,  and  though  its  victims  will  yet  be  numbered 
by  the  score,  enthusiasts  will  still  attempt  the  dangers  of 
arctic  navigation,  and  fresh  trophies  will  yet  be  won. 

Eaily  in  August,  during  the  few  still  clear  nights  suc- 
ceeding bright  and'  pleasant  days,  wc  had  auroras  of 
wondrous  beauty,  not  excelled  by  any  depicted  by  arctic 
voyagers. 

On  the  loth  of  August  the  curlews  appeared  in  great 
numbers.  On  that  day  we  saw  a  flock  which  may  have 
been  a  mile  long  and  nearly  as  broad  ;  there  must  have 
been  in  that  flock  four  or  five  thousand  !  The  sum  total 
of  their  notes  sounded  at  times  like  the  wind  whistling 
through  the  ropes  of  a  thousand-ton  vessel ;  at  others 
the  sound  seemed  like  the  jingling  of  multitudes  of  sleigh- 
bells.  The  flock  soon  after  ap})earing  would  subdivide 
into  squadrons  and  smaller  assemblies,  scattering  over 
the  island  and  feeding  on  the  curlew-berries  now  ripe. 
The  small  j)lover-like  birds  also  appeared  in  flocks.  The 
cloud-berry  was  now  ripe  and  supplied  dainty  tid-bits  to 
these  birds. 

By  the  i8th  of  the  month  the  golden  rods  were  in 
flower.  Here,  as  has  been  noticed  in  arctic  regions,  few 
bees  and  wasps  visit  the  flowers  ;  the  great  majority  of 


LABRAl)f)k    KOSSILS, 


79 


insect  visitors  are  fiies  (Muscidae),  especially  the  flesh  fly 
and  allied  forms.  A  bumble-bee  occasionally  presents 
himself,  more  rarely  a  wasp,  with  an  occasional  ichneu- 
mon fly,  but  the  two-winged  flies,  and  those  of  not 
many  species,  were  constant  visitors  to  the  Au<^ust 
flowers.  The  black  flies  still  remainci  to  this  date  terri- 
ble scourges  in  calm  weather,  though  »n  cloudy  days  and 
at  night  they  mostly  disappeared. 

Wandering  through  the  fog  and  drizzle  along  the  mud 
flats  on  the  northern  side  of  the  island  1  pick{;d  up 
Aporrhais  occidentalism  Fnsiis  tornatus,  Cardita  bin'calis, 
large  valves  of  Saxicava  rugosa,  Buccinum  and  Astarie 
sulcata  2iVi(S.  compressa  ;  these  dnd  Pectcn  is/a ndicus  und 
other  shells  forming  much  the  same  assemblage  as  I  had 
dredged  a  few  days  previous  out  in  the  straits  in  fifty 
fathoms.  The  only  recent  shells  lying  about  were  shal- 
low-water forms,  such  as  the  common  clam,  Tcllina 
fiisca  and  the  razor  shell.  It  was  evident  that  hers  was 
a  raised  sea-bottom,  and  the  Quaternary  formation.  In 
the  afternoon  I  returned  to  the  spot  and  dug  up  many 
more  shells  mingled  with  pieces  of  a  yellow  limestone 
containing  Silurian  fossils,  brachiopods,  and  corals.  This 
horizon,  then,  represented  a  deep  sea-bottom,  over  which 
the  open  sea  must  have  stood  at  least  300  feet,  while  the 
clay  fossils  of  the  mouth  of  the  Esquimaux  River  must 
have  lived  in  a  deep  muddy  bay  sheltered  from  the  waves 
and  currents  of  the  open  sea.  The  drift  deposits  of  La- 
brador are  scanty  in  extent  compared  with  those  of  the 
Maine  coast.  They  are  but  isolated  patches  compared 
with  the  extensive  beds  of  sand  and  clay  which  compose 
the  Quaternary  deposits  of  New  England. 

On  the  2 2d  August  we  made  our  last  excursion  up 


I    4^ 


■'  Ij  I 

t  ji 
I 


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1  i 


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■:m 


80 


MIK    AND    NArUKK    IN    SOUTllKKN    I^AHKADOR. 


the  Esquimaux  River,  j2:oing  up  some  six  miles  from  its 
mouth.  From  a  hill-top  I  could  look  over  the  surface 
of  this  lake-dotted  land,  'i'he  surface  was  rugged  and 
hare  in  the  extreme.  The  river  valley,  however,  was 
well  wooded,  the  si)ruce  and  birch  perhaps  thirty  feet  in 
height.  Here  and  there  the  river  passed  through  high 
j)recipilous  banks  of  sand.  The  hills  were  rough,  scarred 
with  ravines,  precipices,  and  deep  gaps,  ihe  syenite 
wearing  into  irregularly  hummocky  hills,  the  rough 
places  not  lilled  up  with  drift,  and  thus  the  contours 
tamed  down  as  in  New  England.  Indeed,  Labrador  at 
the  present  day  is  like  New  England  at  the  close  of  the 
ice  period  or  at  the  beginning  of  the  epoch  of  great  riv- 
ers, before  the  terraces  were  laid  down  and  the  country 
adapted  for  man's  residence.  Labrador  was  never 
adapted  for  any  except  scattered  nomad  tribes.  It  is 
still  an  unfinished  land. 

While  the  hills  were  l)are  and  the  rocks  covered  with 
the  reindeer  moss,  here  and  there  by  the  river's  edge  in 
favorable,  protected  places  were  tall  alders  and  willows, 
with  groups  of  asters  and  golden  rods.  Here  I  saw  a 
veritable  toad,  and  glad  enough  was  I  to  recognize  his 
lineaments.  1  was  also  told  that  there  were  frogs  in  ex- 
istence, though  we  never  saw  or  heard  them.  There  are 
no  snakes  or  lizards,  so  that  our  history  of  these  animals 
in  Labrador  will  be  as  brief  as  that  of  the  Irish  historian, 
but  we  did  find  a  small  salamander  at  Belles  Amours  in 
a  later  trip  to  this  coast. 

On  our  return  we  found  that  a  whaler  had  towed  a 
whale  into  the  mouth  of  the  river  and  was  about  to  try 
out  the  oil.  We  secured  a  piece  of  the  flesh,  and  on 
reaching  camp  boiled  it;  it  was  not  bad  eating,  tasting 


THE    RETURN    HOME. 


8l 


like  coarse  beef.     Seal's  flippers  we  also  found  not  to  be 
distasteful,  though  never  to  be  rej^ardcd  as  a  delicacy. 

Dredging  and  collecting  insects  on  fine  days  when  not 
too  calm  filled  up  the  measure  of  our  seven  weeks.  The 
time  passed  rapidly,  the  days  were  too  short  for  all  the 
work  we  planned  to  do,  and  it  was  not  without  regret 
that  we  left  the  rugged  untamed  shores  of  "  the  Labra- 
dor." On  the  afternoon  of  the  very  day  she  had  set  for 
her  return  to  Caribou  Island,  the  Nautilus  hove  in  sight. 
As  she  made  our  harbor  she  struck  upon  a  sunken  rock,, 
tore  off  a  piece  of  her  keel,  but  slid  off  and  came  to  an- 
chor as  near  as  practicable  to  the  mission  house,  and 
then  succeeded  the  mutual  spinning  of  Labrador  and 
Greenland  yarns  by  the  reunited  party. 


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I 


CHAPTER  V. 


ONE  OF  FIFTY  DAYS  IN  SOUTHERN  LABRADOR. 


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Four  o'clock  Saturday  morning,  July  7th,  i860,  in 
the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  and  that  huge  rampart  of  rock, 
these  few  icebergs  stranded  here  and  there,  this  occa- 
sional lump  of  floe-ice  floating  down  with  the  tide,  these 
outlandish  puffins,  and  large  flocks  of  eider-ducks  skim- 
ming the  surface  or  flying  high  overheard,  tell  us  that, 
after  nine  days  of  sailing,  we  are  sighting  the  Labrador 
coast. 

Here  codfish  grow  largest  and  most  numerous;  so 
twenty  thousand  fishermen  from  the  British  colonies  and 
about  five  thousand  Yankees  migrate  hither  every  sum- 
mer for  the  cod,  herring,  and  salmon  that  swarm  in 
these  icy  waters.  Here,  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  num- 
bers of  hardy  Newfoundland  sealers  risk  their  lives  in  the 
ice  just  breaking  up ;  while  all  the  year  round  there  are 
estimated  to  be  five  thousand  Esquimaux,  Micmacs, 
Englishmen,  Frenchmen,  Jerseymen,  and  half-breeds, 
who  live,  thanks  to  the  codfish,  on  these  favored  shores. 
Here  people  are  born,  live,  and  die,  who  have  never 
seen  a  horse,  cow,  sheep,  or  cat,  or  a  civilized  dog. 
Wild  Esquimaux  dogs,  savage,  wolfish  creatures,  are  the 
only  beasts  of  burden. 

The  animals  and  birds  are  half  arctic  and  half  temper- 
ate.    Sweet,  dwarfish,  arctic  flowers  here  nestle  in  beds 

of  reindeer-moss,  while  our  Alpine  flora  one  may  gather 

82 


APPROACHING   TITE   COAST. 


83 


on  Mount  Washington  luxuriates  with  stunted  growths 
of  bushy  firs  and  birches.  So,  nearly  all  the  shells, 
worms,  and  creeping  things  are  the  same  in  kind  and 
number  as  those  that  Otho  Fabricius  wrote  of  in  his 
"  Fauna  Gronlandica,"  during  his  dreary  life  in  southern 
Greenland  one  hundred  years  ago. 

As  we  approach  land  no  capes  run  out  to  greet  us,  or 
sheltered  harbor  opens  its  arms  to  embrace.  An  unin- 
terrupted line  of  coast  confronts  the  gulf.  In  one  place 
alone  is  the  intense  monotony  of  the  outline  relieved  by 
the  Hills  of  Bradore,  where  the  coast  sweeps  round  fif- 
teen miles  to  the  eastward,  and  the  Strait  widens  out. 

It  is  a  charming  morning,  the  sun  up  but  an  hour,  and 
just  breeze  enough  to  move  us  over  the  placid  sea. 
Flocks  of  grave,  enormous-hook-billed  puffins  sweep  by 
us  in  squadrons  of  fifties  and  hundreds,  or  flocks  of  eider- 
ducks  fiy  swiftly  out  from  the  land.  Coming  up  nearer 
to  this  strange  coast,  the  line  breaks  here  and  there  ;  a 
few  rocks  and  islands  start  out  from  the  shore.  We  pass 
by  schools  of  two-masted  fishing-boats,  with  two  men 
a'piece  hooking  codfish  ;  we  hail  the  fellows,  but  they 
are  too  busy  to  look  up.  Things  look  a  little  more  live- 
ly ;  more  islands  appear,  channels  wind  through  them, 
choked  with  fleets  of  fishing-smacks.  But  the  wind 
leaves  us,  so  we  put  out  a  boat  and  are  towed  through 
these  narrow  passages,  whose  walls  of  rock  rise  on  each 
side  higher  than  the  masts  of  our  schooner,  though  not 
very  precipitously,  for  all  has  been  worn  down  and  sub- 
dued by  water.  So  we  move  along,  as  if  on  a  smooth- 
flowing,  deep,  narrow  river,  or  a  Norwegian  fiord  ;  now 
we  round  a  point,  and  can  almost  jump  ashore ;  then  a 
bend  in  the  channel  takes  us  over  to  the  other  side  ;  now 


i.iii 


r 


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1 . 


I 


fi . 


V    '■ 


If 

I 


5      C 


'il 


84 


ONE   OF   FIFTY   DAYS   IN   SOUTHERN    LABRADOR. 


we  luff  a  little  to  avoid  a  group  of  Nova  Scotia  fisher- 
men, fat,  sleek,  moon-faced  fellows,  whose  boats,  loaded 
with  fish,  are  busy  discharjjing  their  burden,  pitching  up 
on  deck  half-dead  cod,  which  are  seized  in  a  trice  by 
gioups  of  "  headers,"  "splitters,"  and  "gutters."  And 
then  the  multitudinous  smells,  now  coming  fierce  and 
strong  from  deck  and  hold,  anon  gentle  and  spicy  as  the 
cook  turns  the  morning  fry.  Now  the  surface  is 
streaked  with  oily  films,  but  these  break  away  and  dis- 
close, six  or  eight  fathoms  below,  a  clear,  sandy  bottom, 
strewed  with  fish  offal,  on  which  banks  of  sea-urchins 
feed.  If  we  look  long  and  steadily  enough,  we  shall  see 
swarms  of  beautiful,  delicate,  transparent  jelly-fish,  with 
an  occasional  Clio,  a  winged  moliusk,  fully  as  pure  and 
beautiful,  only  more  transparent.  Suddenly  the  bottom 
is  obscured  by  an  immense  shoal  of  capliii,  slowly  swim- 
ming just  above  the  bottom.  The  rocks  now  reveal 
green,  sunny  declivities;  little  valleys,  sprinkled  with 
flowers;  an  arctic  butterfly  comes  out  to  our  vessel ;  and 
now  we  open  upon  a  house  ;  it  is  only  a  deserted  fish- 
house,  but  a  cur,  keeping  up  an  incessant  barking  on  the 
other  side  of  the  hill,  lets  us  know  that  there  are  human 
beings,  as  well  as  canine,  not  far  off.  If  we  may  believe 
it,  there  is  a  small,  stunted,  homely,  Quebec  cow  feeding 
on  the  side  of  the  hill.  Here  was  a  clear  case  of  unnat- 
ural selection.  The  scenic  features  of  this  coast  do  not 
demand  a  cow  to  grace  the  foreground.  Her  nautical 
owner  informs  us,  in  sturdy  Labradorian  dialect,  that 
she  had  been  brought  up  this  spring.  "  I  made  her  fast 
to  her  moorings,  and  there  let  her  bide  to  eat  the  grass." 
Her  husband  had  broken  loose  from  his  moorings,  and 
was  emulating  the  roar  of  the  waves  on  the  "  land-wash." 


CARIBOU   ISLAND. 


85 


The  children,  more  used  to  seals  and  sea-cows,  had  not 
vet  recovered  from  their  astonishment  at  this  freak  of 
Nature. 

The  channel  now  widens  out  into  the  hay  of  Bonne 
Espdrance,  a  fine  open  space  of  water,  tolerably  well 
sheltered  from  storms.  Two  days  after  I  ^ot  settled  on 
Caribou  Island,  in  Salmon  Bay,  three  miles  cast  of 
Bonne  Espcrance. 

Nearly  the  whole  coast  of  Labrador  is  lined  with  mul- 
titudes of  small  islands,  separated  by  deep,  narrow  chan- 
nels from  the  mainland,  with  here  and  Ihere  a  bay  of 
some  extent,  where  the  islands  are  separated  far  apart. 
Thus,  a  small  sail-boat  can  start  from  the  mouth  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  take  an  inside  j)assa<2^e  up  to  the 
Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  and  there  will  only  be  a  few  places 
where  she  will  encounter  the  outside  swell.  These  num- 
berless islets  and  channels  are  too  numerous  and  intricate 
to  be  accurately  mapped.  At  least,  our  ordinary  charts 
^ive  no  accurate  idea  of  their  location,  and  navigation 
for  the  whole  coast  is  a  matter  of  guess-work. 

Caribou  Island  is  the  largest  within  fifty  miles,  per. 
haps,  of  Salmon  Bay.  It  is  about  two  miles  long  and 
half  as  broad.  But  it  is  in  vain  to  guess  about  the  length 
or  breadth  of  any  part  of  this  rough-and-tumble  country, 
so  I  will  measure  it  with  my  legs.  It  is  a  fresh,  cool, 
breezy  morning ;  thermometer,  say,  at  56°.  At  noon  it 
will  not  be  higher  than  65°. 

At  the  outset,  it  may  as  well  be  said  that  this  is  no 
country  for  slippers  or  calfskin  boots  of  ordinary  make. 
Here  Jersey  cowhide  or  native-made  sealskin  boots  are 
the  mode.  With  anything  on  but  these,  two  minutes' 
walk  out-doors  will  wet  one's  feet  thoroughly,  so   wet 


^1 


If 

■  i 

[ 


i 

f 

i 

1   ' 

r 

i 

86 


ONE   OK   IIKTY   DAYS   IN   SOUTHERN   LABRADOR. 


and  soaked  is  the  boggy  ground.  For  bog-trotting,  or 
nioss-traniping,  or  climbing  rocks,  sealskins  a  la  Esqtn- 
viaux,  so  light  and  water-tight,  are  indispensable. 

The  way  lies  round  the  head  of  a  little  bay,  which 
meets  a  quiet  vale,  filled  with  grass  and  ferns  at  the  top» 
but  half-way  down,  as  it  widens  out,  choked  with  a 
stunted  spruce  and  fir  growth,  or  what  the  people  call 
"tucking,"  or  "  tuckermel-bush."  It  is  in  vain  that  we 
try  to  push  through  it,  so  dense  the  growth,  so  gnarled, 
twisted,  and  grown  together  in  one  impenetrable  mass 
the  trunks,  and  so  flat  and  table-like  the  branches  spread 
out  above.  Here  is  a  perfectly  tight  shelter,  should  it 
rain.  Many  a  hunter,  belated  at  nightfall,  has  crept 
under  these  bushes  and  made  a  comfortable  night  of  it. 
So  the  bears  find  good  hiding-places  here,  and  cannot  be 
found  without  dogs  to  scent  them  out.  Lower  down, 
the  valley  extends  into  an  alder-swamp,  a  lilliputian 
growth,  perhaps  three  feet  high,  choked  ^'ith  rank  grasses 
and  sedges,  crowding  the  sides  of  a  slow-moving  brook. 
Here  mosquitoes  and  black-flies  swarm  ;  we  are  under 
shelter  of  a  cliflf,  and  there  is  no  wind  to  keep  off  these 
horrible  pests.  How  they  rage  and  torment,  these  myr- 
iad entomological  furies  !  Now  for  a  frantic  rush  out 
of  this  purgatory,  and  a  tiresome  climb  of  a  hundred 
feet  up  this  cliff !  It  is  high,  but  not  very  rough,  for  all 
the  rocks  are  hidden  by  soft  reindeer-moss,  and  the  crev- 
ices are  filled  up  with  tuckermel,  and  the  ravines  that 
run  down  its  sides  have  their  dripping,  mossy  walls 
sprinkled  over  with  Alpine  flowers  and  their  bottoms 
carpeted  with  coarse  arctic  grasses.  Only  here  and  there 
patches  of  the  original  granite  show  themselves.  Now 
and  then  a  brown  or  yellow  butterfly  flits  by,  or  an  arc- 


■  \ 


SALMON    BAY. 


«7 


tic  bumhle-bcc  hums  and  buzzes  in  the  Howcrs  ;  two 
or  three  l)eetles  crawl  over  the  fern-leaves,  while  a  few 
meagre,  lean-looking  files  lead  a  sort  of  doubtful  exist- 
ence. There  is  none  of  that  outburst  and  profusion  of 
insect-life  that  characterizes  woodland  life  in  the  States 
in  midsummer.  For  the  benefit  of  the  entomologically 
curious,  I  will  state  that  nowhere  on  the  coast,  or  inland, 
at  least  within  twenty  miles  of  Salmon  Bay,  has  a  grass- 
hopper been  seen  or  heard  of !  The  common  red-legged 
grasshopper,  that  is  so  abundant  everywhere  with  us  all 
the  summer,  which  luxuriates  on  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington,  and  is  found  by  arctic  travellers  about  Mel- 
bourne Island,  spread,  in  fact,  all  through  British  and 
Arctic  America,  is  here  wanting,  so  scanty  and  parsimo- 
nious is  the  distribution  of  insect-life  on  these  shores. 
But  I  must  mention  the  wasp's  nest  I  stumbled  upon 
one  day,  about  as  large  as  one  of  Meenan's  fists,  stuck 
down  under  the  moss,  in  a  mass  of  roots.  Well  aware 
of  the  notorious  temper  of  these  insects,  and  fully  con- 
scious of  past  sad  experiences,  I  approached  the  dread 
precincts,  extended  a  six-foot  pole,  and  gave  a  gentle 
tap — no  answer ;  another — two  individuals  crawl  out — a 
simultaneous  rush  of  the  invader  to  the  rear  ;  the  "  com- 
bat deepens" — four  more  dabs  with  the  six-footer — a 
baker's  dozen  issue  forth  and  fly  around,  alas  !  how  dolo- 
rous and  sad  !  They  give  chase  for  a  pace  or  two,  and 
then  pause,  look  back  irresolutely,  and  give  it  up.  Such 
was  my  experience  with  Labrador  wasps. 

By  this  time  we  have  topped  the  cliff,  and  far  down 
below  lies  Salmon  Bay.  Seven  fishermen  from  New- 
buryport  find  here  one  of  the  best  harbors  on  the  coast 
— securely  landlocked,  and  good  anchorage  in  fifteen 


/. 


J^ 


88 


ONE   OF   FIFTY   DAYS   IN   SOUTHERN    LABRADOR. 


f 


.  1 


*  :' 


f 

( 

■'■1 

'    [ 

>  i 

fathoms'  mud — a  beautiful  dredging-ground.  Large 
cockles,  curious  pelican's-feet,  delicate  nereids,  clumsy 
crabs,  and  neat,  active  shrimp,  abound  and  multiply  as 
the  sands  of  the  sea  in  number.  On  the  right  is  Salmon 
Bay  settlement,  one  of  the  most  populous  places  on  the 
coast,  consisting  of  seven  families.  And  now  ihe  eye, 
s\veej)ing  north,  east,  and  west,  takes  in  the  vast  desola- 
tion of  hills,  relieved  only  by  gleaming  frngments  of 
ponds,  or  snow-banks  of  a  sullen  white.  There  is  no 
continuous  series  of  ranges  rising  uj)  back  of  one  an- 
other, like  any  well-ordered  mountain  group,  but  a 
chopped  sea  of  undeveloped  mountains,  whose  tops  seem 
to  have  been  ground  down  by  water  and  ice  when  the 
world  was  much  younger  than  it  is  now,  but  which,  after 
this,  as  if  a  rebel  horde  of  Titans,  made  seemingly  inef- 
fectual attempts  to  grow  up  again,  and  only  succeeded 
in  spots  ;  which,  bare  then,  have  been  kept  bare  ever 
since  by  arctic  frosts  and  snows. 

If  we  imagine  we  can  see  forests  growing  among 
those  hills,  it  is  only  because  we  have  been  told  that 
woods  do  grow  in  the  sheltered  valleys,  and  now  and 
then  venture  up  the  hill-sides.  Thus  the  country  runs 
back  for  hundreds  of  miles,  the  hills  rising  five  to  eight 
hundred  feet  high,  bare  and  desolate,  but  the  valleys  are 
much  better  wooded  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  be- 
ing warmer  and  more  sheltered.  There  are  no  regular 
rivers  in  Labrador,  only  rows  of  ponds — and  very 
crooked  rows — linked  by  rapids,  which  the  Mountaineers 
only  can  navigate  in  their  light  canoes.  There  are  no 
water-sheds,  no  continuous  valleys  to  unite  into  one 
stream  the  thousand  ponds  that  gather  in  every  depres- 
sion. 


STONE  CIRCLES. 


89 


Hut  we  have  feasted  longenou^li  upon  this  rare.  uni(|ue 
scene.  We  speak  not  of  the  freshness  of  the  l)reezc, 
of  the  exhilaration  and  inspiration  it  l)rin^s,  and  not, 
least  of  all,  of  the  perfect  freedom  from  every  sijj^n  of  lly 
or  lnos(^uito.  Now,  as  we  return,  for  two  miles  of  bog- 
trottinjj,  an    hour  of    hlack-lly  and    mos(juito    li,i»htinjr! 


While 


sittmg  upon 


the  hill  durinii  that  iialf-hour's  rest 


the  breeze  kept  the  Hies  from  our  face  ;  but  how  secretly 
and  in  what  untoward  numbers  iiad  tin'  silvery-lei»,u:ed 
rascals  crept  into  our  llannel  shirts,  covered  hat  and  back, 
(\o\n[i  nothiiiii  but  hold  on  for  the  wind  !  but  now, 
under  lee  of  this  wall,  the  pla<iues  have  the  advantaji;e. 
They  Hy  into  our  face,  eyes,  nose,  and  mouth  ;  they  do 
not  bite  hard,  like  the  mos(]uitoes,  but  the  vamj)ires  suck 
U)UiX  iind  deep,  leavinjj  great  clots  of  blood.  To  com- 
plete the  work,  half  a  dozen  frightful  horse-tlies  of  gigan- 
tic stature  hover  about ;  now  and  then,  when  we  are  not 
watching,  they  will  settle  down  on  our  hands  and  bite 
terribly,  making  a  wound  which  does  not  heal  for  days. 
It  is  useless  to  try  to  bear  it.  I  make  a  stampede  up 
the  rocks  to  the  breeze,  but  they  follow  in  clouds,  pounc- 
ing down  like  small-shot  on  my  wide-awake.  So  run- 
ning, as  if  for  my  life,  one  moment,  and  stopping  to  rest 
the  next ;  now  starting  up  a  white-headed  finch  or  soli- 
tary robin,  or  stopping  to  watch  a  Canadian  jay  or  hun- 
gry cormorant  sailing  aloft,  or  pausing  to  trace  out  two 
or  three  contiguous  circles  of  bowlder-stones,  which 
marked  the  former  wigwams  of  the  Esquimaux,  who  used 
to  have  bloody  fights  on  this  island  with  the  Mountain- 
eer Indians;  now  wading  a  swamp,  or  making  clHotirs 
round  miniature  ponds,  or  jumping  a  narrow  ravine,  or 
circumnavigating  a  growth  of  tuckermel — I  come  to  a 


;    I 


;  I 


I.         s 

J 


.  ;    i 


90 


ONK   ()|-    IIITV    DAYS    IN   SOUTHERN    LABRADOR. 


M 


stand  on  the  south  side  of  the  island.  It  has  been  blow- 
ing fresh  for  two  or  tiiree  days  from  the  soutlnvest.  and 
the  ji^uK  rolls  in  a  niaji^nificent  surf,  sweeping  grandly  upon 
the  pebbly  beach  or  dashing  wiklly  against  the  sea-wall. 
Half  a  mile  from  shore  a  huge  iceberg  is  stranded,  and 
the  wind  blows  cold  and  damp.  Farther  out  on  the 
Strait  the  sun  Hashes  on  four  or  five  other  line  bergs, 
though  it  is  the  middle  of  July.  And  so  clear  is  the  air, 
that  the  low  blue-limestone  coast  of  Newfoundland,  forty 
miles  opposite,  can  easily  be  seen. 

Now,  where  are  all  the  sea-birds  that  I  expected  to 
find  filling  the  air,  and  crowding  the  rocks,  up  here  in 
Labrador  ?  A  lonely  raven  is  just  passing  over,  a  few 
small  land-birds  are  chipping  on  the  rocks,  a  small  owl 
wings  his  noiseless  fiight  low  over  the  bogs — these,  with 
a  pair  of  saddle-back  gulls  sailing  aloft,  are  about  the 
only  birds  to  be  seen.  Sometimes  a  loon  files  over  the 
island,  or  a  small  flock  of  eider-ducks  settles  down  in  a 
pool.  If  one  pushes  out  a  little  way  into  the  Strait, 
he  will  start  up  a  few  razor-billed  auks,  or  see  a  flock  of 
guillemots,  or  their  cousins,  the  murres.  People  here 
call  the  guillemots  sea-pigeons,  though  more  like  crows 
than  pigeons  in  size  and  color.  A  flock  of  pufiins  will 
fly  off  just  out  of  gunshot  across  the  bows  of  one's  boat, 
for  all  these  sea-birds  are  shy  and  difficult  to  approach. 
I  must  delay  a  moment  on  these  puffins.  They  are 
queer,  grave  birds,  profoundly  Quakerish  in  their  habit, 
wise-looking  as  the  seven  Gothamites,  only  wanting  a 
pair  of  good,  old-fashioned,  silver-bowed  spectacles  to 
set  off  their  enormous  hook-nosed  visages.  Just  here 
they  are  not  very  abundant,  but  fifteen  miles  up  the 
coast,  at  Bradore,  these  peculiar  people  have  appropriated 


N 


ill 
I 


i4 


r 


f   ! 

i 

r 


) 

r 

F 
]< 

a 

it 

tl 

n 

h 

h 


A    FLOCK    OF   CLKLKWS 


91 


a  rcd-saiuislone  island.  On  tliis  patch  of  rock,  whose 
soft,  crunil)nii<»  surface  they  bore  in  all  directions,  niak- 
in<r  galleries  about  a  foot  from  the  surface,  they  have 
bred  from  time  immemorial.  However  wild  they  are 
on  the  waves,  here  they  suffer  themselves  to  be  pulled 
forth  from  their  holes  and  summarily  choked  by  ardent 
ornithologists  without  a  scjueak  of  resistance. 

Indeed,  June  and  July,  or  the  first  of  August,  is  no 
time  to  come  to  Labrador  for  birds  :  all  the  ducks  are 
among  the  inland  ponds,  breedin<.r  The  sea-birds  that 
breed  here  gather  in  one  place  sixty  ,/iiles  down  the  coast, 
on  the  Bird  Islands,  forming  the  Mecatina  group.  Tb<'rc 
are  few  to  molest  their  nests,  nd  they  M.e  in  comparu- 
tiv  :  quiet.  Let  a  crew  visit  a  breedin  -place  in  the  middle 
of  June,  and  they  can  very  quickly  load  a  boat  with  eggs. 
It  is  said  that  vessels  come  up  here  from  Boston  every 
year,  and  load  up  with  eggs  to  carry  back  to  the  Stales. 

About  the  middle  of  August  that  beautiful  and  grace- 
ful bird,  the  sea-swallow,  or  arctic  tern,  makes  its  appear- 
ance, flying  about  the  sea-cliffs,  hovering  over  the  fisher- 
men's boats,  and  keeping  up  an  interminable  screeching 
and  twittering ;  they  are  the  most  garrulous  of  gulls. 
With  them  appear  a  few  of  the  rarer  gulls.  Then  the 
ring-necked  and  semipalmated  plover,  and  flocks  of  sand- 
peeps  and  yellow-legs  gather  on  the  flats.  But  the  cur- 
lews eclipse  them  all.  We  had  had  intimations  of  their 
arrival.  Already  had  small  squadrons  been  seen  wheel- 
ing around  the  hill-tops,  and  now  over  the  sea,  and  as 
they  advanced  or  retreated,  their  "mild  mixing  cadence" 
now  grew  loud  and  near,  and  now  waxed  fainter  and 
fainter.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  loth  of  August  I 
heard  the  alarm  of  "  Curlew  !"  and,  sure  enough,  over 


I, 


'^Wf!' 


f- 


i 


T^ 


i       : 


rl!^ 


<    I 


(. 


tl: 

ii  i 


92 


ONE   OF   FIFTY   DAYS   IN   SOUTHERN   LABRADOR. 


across  the  neck,  a  mile  away,  was  a  flock  of  these  birds, 
darkening  nearly  a  square  mile  of  the  sky.  There  must 
have  been  many  thousands  in  that  flock,  all  piping  and 
whistling  like  the  jingling  of  ten  thousand  sleigh-bells, 
or  the  whistling  of  the  wind  through  the  ropes  of  a 
squadron  of  seventy-fours,  while  performing  a  series  of 
evolutions  of  wonderful  celerity  and  precision.  The 
whole  mass  wheeled  around  the  hills  and  over  the  plain, 
now  stretching  out  over  the  bay,  made  up  of  smaller 
troops,  chasing  each  other  around  and  through  the  whole 
moving  mass  in  the  greatest  apparent  confusion  and  dis- 
order. It  was  really  a  great  sight,  this  marshalling  of 
the  curlew  hosts.  After  this  grand  review  of  their  forces 
they  separate  into  small  flocks,  scatter  over  the  country 
to  feed  on  the  curlew-berries  now  ripening,  or  to  patrol 
the  shore  at  low-water  in  search  of  stray  worms  and 
snails.  The  inhabitants  kill  large  quantities  of  this  deli- 
cious bird,  and  salt  them  down  in  barrels  for  winter  use. 
They  cannot  conjecture  where  they  come  from,  but  say 
that  the  first  northeast  wind  in  late  summer  always 
brings  them. 

But  the  sun  is  going  down  jn  the  fog  and  mist  driving 
in  from  the  gulf.  The  wind  has  hauled  to  the  east,  and 
blows  chilly  and  damp  ;  and  so  ended  many  of  the  thirty 
fair  days  of  the  fifty  I  spent  in  Southern  Labrador. 


!'i 


CHAPTER    VI. 


A    SUMMERS    CRUISE    TO    NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


I.  From  Boston  to  Hkni.ey  Harbor. 


In  the  spring  of  1864,  Mr.  William  Bradford,  the  well- 
known  marine  artist  of  New  York,  organized  a  party  to 
cruise  along  the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  if  possible  to 
reach  Hudson's  Strait,  for  the  purpose  of  painting  ice- 
bergs and  arctic  scenery.  After  having  previously  spent 
a  summer  on  the  southern  coast,  with  no  opportunity  of 
extended  explorations,  it  seemed  rare  good  fortune  to 
make  one  of  a  party  bound  for  the  Moravian  settle- 
ments, and  possibly  Cape  Chidley. 

On  the  4th  of  June,  at  10.15  a.m.,  the  fast  schooner 
Benjamin  S.  Wright,  Captain  Brown,  with  two  pilots, 
Capt.  Ichabod  Handy  of  Fair  Haven,  Mass.,  for  the 
northern  coast,  and  Capt.  French  for  the  southern  shore, 
a  Norwegian  mate  and  two  deck  hands,  with  a  cook  and 
two  cabin  boys,  carrying  a  party  of  fourteen  gentlemen 
comprising  lawyers,  clergymen,  naturalists,  sportsmen, 
and  pleasure-seekers,  left  the  Philadelphia  Packet  Pier, 
Boston.  Owing  to  an  easterly  wind  a  tug  towed  us 
down  to  the  Narrows,  where  we  spread  our  canvas,  and 
beat  down  to  Provincetown  for  the  purpose  of  buying  a 
whaleboat,  making  harbor  there  at  9.30  in  the  evening. 

Spending  Sunday  at  Provincetown,  where  we  visited 
some  friends  in  the  coast-guard,  several  of  whom  after- 
wards distinguished  themselves  in  the  war  of  the  Rebel- 

93 


l\ 


ir 


hT^^ 


1     If 


il  ' 


;i 


i  i 


!       I 


' 


^A   , 


ii;^ 


94 


A   summer's  cruise  to  northern   LABRADOR. 


lion,  on  the  6th,  with  a  fresh  northwest  wind  which  so 
effectually  ruffled  the  ocean  that  nearly  every  man  set- 
tled his  account  there  and  then  with  the  sea-god,  our 
course  was  laid  for  Cape  Sable,  which  we  sighted  at 
about  I  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  7th. 

The  following  day  we  bowled  along  at  the  distance  of 
twelve  miles  from  the  Nova  Scotian  coast,  the  wind 
blowing  a  fresh  gale  from  the  northwest,  and  about  2 
A.M.  of  the  8th  ran  into  Chedabucto  Bay,  anchoring  four 
miles  from  Port  Mulgrave.  Weighing  anchor  the  next 
day  and  moving  up  to  the  town,  a  mean  little  fishing- 
hamlet,  while  the  crew  took  in  wood  and  water,  each  one, 
according  to  his  taste,  went  either  shopping  or  trouting 
in  the  rain,  or  geologizing.  On  the  following  day  I 
walked  towards  Porcupine  Point,  a  bold  headland  said 
to  be  275  feet  above  the  Gut  of  Canso.  The  view  over 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  is  a  very  pleasant  one.  The 
Gut  of  Canso  opens  into  the  Gulf  four  miles  from  the 
Point.  The  drift  material  consists  of  a  rich  soil  con- 
taining bits  and  masses  of  red  sandstone,  some  of  the 
fragments  containing  calamites  and  the  impressions  of 
delicate  sea-weeds.  The  rocks  m  situ  are  a  white  con- 
glomerate dipping  at  an  angle  of  80°  and  with  a  N.  and 
S.  strike. 

The  shores  of  the  Gut  of  Canso  are  high  and  bold  on 
the  western  side,  but  much  lower  on  the  Cape  Breton 
shore.  The  contours  of  the  hills  on  the  Nova  Scotian 
coast  are  like  those  of  a  granite-gneiss  region,  the  hills 
terminating  in  drift  "scaurs."  On  the  Cape  Breton  side 
the  houses  are  more  numerous  and  the  farms  either  more 
fertile  or  cultivated  with  greater  care.  At  Port  Mul- 
grave the  inhabitants  did  not  raise  vegetables  enough  for 


IN   THE   GULF   OF   ST.    LAWRENCE. 


95 


^J 


their  own  consumption  ;  and  not  infrequently  a  farmer 
was  seen  ploughing  with  a  single  ox.  Exchange  was 
$1.95.  The  people  were  all  "sesesh."  Although  for 
the  disunion  of  the  "  States,"  nothing  could  separate  them 
from  the  love  of  whiskey  and  gin,  as  in  the  course  of  the 
afternoon  there  was  a  miserable  stabbing  fray,  witnessed 
by  a  good  many  of  the  inhabitants,  though  it  should  be 
said  that  there  were  thirty  sail  then  in  the  port,  from 
which  part  of  the  material  for  the  affray  was  afforded. 

Our  fishermen  returned  with  a  liberal  supply  of  trout, 
and  Mr.  Bradford  shipped  a  steward,  who  turned  out  to 
be  an  Indian  soldier,  and  had  assisted  in  blowing  Sepoys 
from  the  cannon's  mouth.  Whether  he  was  morally  and 
intellectually  worse  or  better  than  a  Sepoy  was  often  a 
matter  of  discussion  on  the  cruise. 

We  were  now  ready  to  push  out  into  the  Gulf,  and 
the  latter  was  now  ready  for  the  reception  of  the  Benj. 
S.  Wright.  For  but  a  few  days  ago  vessels  had  been 
jammed  in  the  ice  immediately  north  of  Port  Mulgr~  e, 
the  ice  having  remained  later  in  the  Gulf  and  been  more 
abundant  the  past  spring  than  for  years.  We  were  told 
that  it  was  possible  for  people  to  walk  on  the  ice  a  hun- 
dred miles  out  from  the  Magdalen  Islands. 

The  next  day  found  us  off  St.  George's  Bay,  the  sport 
of  light,  baffling  winds  or  of  dead  calms,  but  these  '^Mia- 
bled  us  to  receive  lasting  impressions  of  the  beautiful 
green  slopes  of  the  Cape  Breton  shores,  with  their  ex- 
panse of  green  sward  framing  the  square  acres  of 
ploughed  land  centred  by  red  farm-houses.  These  were 
our  last  views  of  cultivated  fields  and  well-trimmed  glebes, 
until  on  our  return  we  beheld  the  rich  red  farm-lands  ot 
Prince  Edward's  Island. 


m 


^' 


96 


A   summer's  cruise  to   northern  LABRADOR. 


Sunday  the  1 2th  was  a  red-letter  day,  spent  about  the 
home  of  the  gannet  or  solan-goose.  At  seven  o'clock 
in  the  morning — and  what  a  glorious  one  it  was  :  the 
air  soft  and  balmy,  our  good  vessel's  bows  gently  rising 
and  falling  on  the  swell  as  if  saluting  in  a  measured, 
dignified  way  the  appearance  of  the  god  of  day — at  this 
hour  Entry  Island,  one  of  the   Magdalens,  was  twelve 


: 


li 


••'SI 


■-*».>;»«M.       J^. 


^l-^S^^ 


i -•  ■'•■-.  '■*■ 


■,,..:  ;.  .*i*wrt^*<BWr; 


-m<«c-^ 


THE    LARGEST   (5K   THE    BIRD    ROCKS,    AS   SEEN    IN    1864. 

(From  a  Photograph  by  Black.) 

miles  off.  It  is  a  high  mass  of  red  sandstone  with 
abrupt  sides  and  surmounted  by  two  knolls  ;  near  it 
were  several  small  islands,  and  a  high  grayish  rock 
deeply  incised  by  narrow  valleys  plunging  suddenly 
down  to  the  sea. 

At  noon  we  approached   the   Bird    Rocks,  a  group 
of  three  islets,  the  largest   250  feet  high  and  from  a 


THE   BIRD    ROCKS. 


97 


quarter  to  half  a  mile  in  length,  the  longest  diameter 
extending  east  and  west.  The  top  is  nearly  flat  and 
slopes  gently  towards  the  south.  It  is  formed,  as  seen 
from  the  south  side  through  a  good  glass  at  a  distance 
of  half  a  mile,  of  red  friable  sandstone,  with  thin  beds  of 
grit,  which  near  the  water's  edge  are  several  feet  in 
thickness,  while  several  loose  fragments  look  like  bowl- 
ders, though  there  are  no  true  transported  rocks  on  the 
island. 

The  islets  were  nearly  white  on  top,  and  I  supposed 
this  was  due  to  the  guano,  but  Mr.  Bradford  assured  me 
that  the  white  frosting,  as  it  seemed  to  be,  was  the  birds 
themselves ;  and  sure  enough,  except  a  central  patch  of 
brown  and  green  herbage,  the  western  end  was  in  part, 
and  the  eastern  half  of  the  island  entirely,  white  with 
female  gannets,  resting  on  the  rock  above  as  well  as  on 
the  larger  shelves  on  the  sides,  while  the  small  nooks  and 
shelves  of  grit  were  appropriated  by  myriads  of  murres. 

At  the  reoort  of  a  gun  swarms  of  birds  would  rise 
from  the  rock  and  flutter  in  the  air  like  flies,  and  at  a 
rough  estimate  10,000  were  there.  To  the  leeward 
many  gannets,  males,  were  seated  in  the  water  or  flying 
over  it,  in  company  with  a  few  murres — but  nearly  all 
were  as  if  in  ceaseless  motion,  and  busy  fishing  or  re- 
turning with  fish  to  the  avian  metropolis.* 

*  In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  read  the  description  of  the  Bird  Rock 
in  Cc.rtier's  first  voyage. 

"Wee  went  southeast  about  15  leagues,  and  came  to  three  Hands,  two  of 
which  are  as  steepe  and  vpright  as  any  wall,  so  that  it  was  not  possible  to  climbe 
them;  and  betweene  them  there  is  a  little  rocke.  These  Hands  were  as  full  of 
birds,  as  any  field  or  medow  is  of  grasse,  which  there  do  make  their  nestes  ; 
and  in  the  greatest  of  them  there  was  a  great  and  infinite  number  of  those  that 
wee  call  Margaulx,  that  are  white,  and  bigger  than  any  geese,  which  were 
seuered  in  one  part.     In  the  other  were  onely  Godetz,  but  toward  the  shoare 


!     I| 


!       ! 


i  !!  ' 

i 


98 


A    SUM.M:RS   cruise   to   northern    LABRADOR. 


Mr.  Bradford  spent  a  busy  day  in  sketching  the 
unique  scene,  and  his  photographer,  Mr.  Pierce,  from 
Black's  studio  in  Boston,  took  four  good  photographs 
of  the  rocks  and  birds.  These  rocks  are  the  remnants 
of  what  were  once  vastly  more  extended  strata,  and  the 
question  arose  in  my  mind  whether  the  red  soil  of  Port 
Mulgrave  and  vicinity  were  not  the  debris  which  had 
been  in  part  borne  from  the  Magdalen  Isles,  and  in  part 
from  Prince  Edward's  Island. 

Since  1864,  when  the  photograph  was  taken  by  Mr. 
Bradford  of  which  the  accompanying  sketch  is  a  repro- 
duction, great  changes  have  come  over  the  famous  gan- 
net  rookery  of  Bird  Rocks.  Mr.  W.  Brewster,  who, 
with  Prof.  Hyatt  and  others,  visited  these  rocks  in  1881, 
says  in  his  account:  "In  i860  the  numb  r  of  gannets 
breeding  on  the  top  of  Great  Bird  (then  uninhabited) 
was  estimated  by  Bryant  at  about  '  fifty  thousand  pairs,' 
or  one  hundred  thousand  birds.  In  1872  Maynard 
found  this  portion  of  the  colony  reduced  to  about  five 

there  were  of  those  Godetz,  and  Apponatz.  We  put  into  our  boats  so  many  of 
them  as  we  pleased,  for  in  lesse  than  one  houre  we  might  have  filled  thirtie  such 
boats  of  them  :  we  named  them  the  Hands  of  Margaulx.  About  five  leagues 
fro  the  said  Hands  on  the  west,  there  is  another  Hand  that  is  about  two  leagues 
in  length,  and  so  much  in  breadth :  there  did  we  stay  all  night  to  take  in  water 
and  wood.  That  Hand  is  enuironed  round  about  with  sand  and  hath  a  very 
good  road  about  it,  three  or  foure  fadome  deep.  Those  Hands  have  the  best 
soile  that  euer  we  saw,  fo'  that  one  of  their  fields  is  more  worth  then  all  the 
New  land.  We  found  it  all  full  of  goodly  trees,  medowes,  fields  full  of  wild 
corne  and  peason  bloomed,  as  thick,  as  ranke,  and  as  faire  as  any  can  be  seene 
in  Britaine  so  that  they  seemed  to  have  bene  ploughed  and  sowed  There  was 
also  a  great  store  of  gooseberies,  strawberies,  damaske  roses,  i  ^rseley,  with 
other  very  sweet  and  pleasant  hearbes.  About  the  said  Hand  are  very  great 
beasles  as  great  as  oxen,  which  have  two  great  teeth  in  their  mouths  like  vnto 
elephants  teeth,  and  Hue  also  in  the  sea.  We  saw  one  of  them  sleeping  vpoii 
the  banke  of  the  water  ;  wee  thinking  to  take  it  went  to  it  with  our  boates,  but 
so  soone  as  he  heard  vs,  he  cast  himselfe  into  the  sea.  We  saw  also  beares 
and  wolves  ;  we  named  it  Brions  Hand.     (Hakluyt,  iii.  254.) 


FIRST   VIEW   OK   "  THK   LABRADOR. 


99 


thousand  birds  (a  lighthouse  had  been  erected  on  the 
summit  of  the  rock  and  several  men  were  living  there). 
When  we  landed  in  1881  the  top  of  the  rock  was  prac- 
tically abandoned,  although  there  were  some  fifty  nests 
at  the  northern  end,  which  had  been  robbed  a  few  days 
before,  and  about  which  the  birds  still  lingered." 

Mr.  Brewster  says,  however,  that  the  common  guil- 
lemot (^Loftivia  troile^  still  breeds  at  Bird  Rocks  in 
amazing  numbers,  but  that  the  number  is  rapidly  de- 
creasing, owing  to  the  introduction  of  a  cannon  which  is 
fired  every  half-hour  during  foggy  weather.  "  At  each 
discharge,"  he  says,  "  the  frightened  murres  fly  from  the 
rocks  in  clouds,  nearly  every  sitting  bird  taking  its  t^g 
into  the  air  between  its  thighs  and  dropping  it  after  fly- 
ing a  few  yards.  This  was  repeatedly  observed  during 
our  visit,  and  more  than  once  a  perfect  shower  of  eggs 
fell  into  the  water  around  our  boat." 

At  6  o'clock  this  evening  we  were  95  miles  from 
Little  Mecatina  Island,  and  at  1 1  o'clock  of  the  next 
day  (the  13th),  we  sighted  land  lying  under  a  milage 
which  looked  like  the  land  itself,  while  the  snow-banks 
ashore  were  transformed  into  icebergs  floating  in  the 
quasi  sea.  This  singular  mirage  lasted  until  evening. 
As  the  land  gradually  "hove"  in  sight  the  mirage  re- 
ceded and  the  bergs  became  veritable  banks  of  snow. 
Little  Mecatina  was  passed  at  6  in  the  evening ;  its 
longer  diameter  was  north  and  south,  and  the  southern 
end  of  the  glaciated  island  showed  finely  the"stoss" 
side,  the  "  struck "  side  gradually  sloping  towards  the 
north.  The  Labrador  coast  at  this  point  becomes  high 
and  bold,  presenting  a  continuous  front  to  the  Gulf,  with 
an  occasional  "  hump  "  rising  perhaps  300  feet  or  more 


'  !• 


!"  I 


^hi 


lOO         A   SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO    NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 

above  the  general  level  of  the  land.  The  Island  of 
Mecatina  is  685  feet  above  the  Gulf,  Cape  Mecatina 
being  the  highest  land  from  Mingan  to  Bradore. 

We  dropped  anchor  in  Sleupe  harbor  in  Gore  Island, 
after  the  quickest  voyage  Capt.  French  had  ever  made. 
The  run  from  Boston  had  been  a  fine  one,  with  north- 
west winds  throughout,  and  no  fog.  At  sunset  the 
thermometer  was  42°,  and  it  grew  still  cooler  as  we  ran 
into  our  harbor,  which  was  on  the  southern  exposure,  on 
which  were  numerous  snow-banks  in  the  deep  gulches 
leading  down  to  the  water. 

The  rocks  were  red  syenite,  like  those  of  Mt.  Desert, 
Me.,  with  its  characteristic  hummocky  outline  and  pre- 
cipitous walls  fronting  the  sea.  No  bowlders  were  seen 
about  the  harbor,  but  the  rockv  shores  were  marked  and 
polished  by  the  ice  for  a  few  feet  above  the  water's  edge. 

The  murres  and  saddle-back  gulls  were  now  just 
hatching,  while  the  eider-ducks  were  beginning  to  lay 
their  eggs.  The  curlew-berry  was  now  in  flower.  In 
the  garden  of  one  of  the  settlers  (Michael  Cant^),  who 
were  French  Canadians,  the  rhubarb  or  pie  plant  was 
just  above  ground,  the  parsnips  were  six  inches  high, 
and  the  grass  about  the  houses  was  four  inches  in  height, 
but  as  yet  there  was  no  verdure  on  the  hills,  the  surface 
being  still  sere  and  rusty,  the  snow  having  so  recently 
melted  away.  The  season  opens  here  the  middle  or  last 
of  May,  when  the  snow  mostly  disappears.  The  ice  left 
the  bay  the  20th  of  May,  and  about  this  date  the  black 
bear  comes  out  of  his  winter  quarters.  It  was  too  early 
for  cod  or  salmon,  and  the  capelin  had  not  appeared. 

Our  harbor  was  between  two  islands,  and  on  one  were 
'two  houses,  and  on  the  other  five,  one  of  them  a  well- 


TIIK    KIDKk-DUCK    AND    ITS    XKS'|-. 


lOI 


built,  neat  house.  About  them  l()un<re(l  several  Esqui- 
maux dogs.  VVe  dredged  in  ten  fathoms  on  a  rocky 
l)()ttom,  not,  however,  bringing  up  any  novelties,  though 
tiic  animals  were  all  of  purely  arctic  types. 

June  14  was  spent  in  egging  and  in  collecting  insects. 
Mr.  Bradford  secured  the  services  of  a  Frenchman  and 
his  sail-boat,  and  with  several  others  of  the  party  landed 
on  three  islands  situated  four  or  five  miles  away.  We 
found  eight  nests  and  twenty-five  eggs  of  the  eider- 
duck,  with  those  of  the  murre  or  guillemot  and  auk, 
besides  three  gull's  eggs,  probably  those  of  the  saddle- 
back. We  also  found  a  nest  of  the  red  loon  :  it  was 
situated  on  the  edge  of  a  small  pond.  The  nest,  partly 
submerged,  was  fourteen  inches  in  diameter  and  in  size 
and  appearance  like  the  gulls'  nests,  though  the  latter 
were  placed  in  dryer  localities.  The  eider-ducks'  nests 
were  abundant,  as  were  those  of  the  razor-billed  auks, 
but  those  of  the  murres  were  even  less  common.  The 
eider-ducks  ten  years  ago  were  extremely  abundant,  but 
the  unremitting  attacks  upon  their  nests  by  "eggers" 
has  resulted  in  the  partial  extinction  of  this  valuable  and 
interesting  bird.  All  the  eiders  were  busy  in  making 
their  nests  and  in  laying  their  eggs.  The  old  or  com- 
pleted nests  contained  a  great  mass  of  down,  and  were 
12  to  15  inches  in  outside  diameter,  the  downy  mass  in 
which  the  eggs  sank  being  five  or  six  inches  high  ;  the 
newer  nests  were  without  down  ;  there  were  about  five 
eggs  to  a  nest.  Most  of  the  nests  which  we  saw  were 
built  on  low  land,  near  pools  and  not  far  from  the  sea- 
water,  in  a  dense  thicket  of  dwarf  spruce  trees,  called 
"  tucking-bush  "  or  "  tuckermel."  The  murres  and  auks, 
as  is  well  known,  do  not  make  nests,  but  drop  their  eggs 


I'  ! 


;M 


102        A   SUMMERS  CRUISE  TO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


r  I 

I 

f 

I" 


I'  f 


I     ! 


under  projecting  rocks,  or  on  overhanging  shelves  on 
high  cliffs,  or  under  blocks  of  granite.  I  found  one 
murre's  egg  which  had  been  laid  on  the  ice  under  a  huge 
rock,  and  as  I  worked  my  way  under  the  rock  to  get  at 
the  single  egg,  the  stupid  bird  did  not  fly,  but  simply 
moved  a  few  steps  beyond  my  reach,  making  an  odd 
guttural  noise.  It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  the  vicin- 
ity of  a  murre's  or  auk's  nest  is  filthy  in  the  extreme. 
The  egg-shell  of  these  nestless  birds  is  very  thick,  so 
that  they  may  roll  about  or  drop  down  without  break- 
ing ;  how  they  came  to  be  so  much  more  conical  or 
pointed  at  one  end  than  usual  is  an  interesting  question.* 
We  also  saw  a  king  eider  flying  with  a  small  flock  of 
eiders,  as  well  as  several  "shags"  and  a  northern  phal- 
erope. 

Insect-life  was  now  stirring ;  the  pools  abounded  in 
water  boatmen  (Corixa),  and  whirligig  beetles  {Gyri- 
nus),  while  a  species  of  feathered  gnat  {Corethrd)  was 
just  leaving  the  pupa,  the  cast  skins  of  the  latter  floating 
on  the  surface  of  the  pools.  A  lonely  humble-bee  was 
flying  fussily  about,  a  syrphus-fly  was  hovering  over  the 
flowers  of  the  cloud-berry,  and  other  insects  were  found 
under  stones,  amongst  the  moss,  or  in  the  water.  The 
appearance  of  insect-life  corresponded  to  that  of  south- 

*  "  There  was  one  bird  in  particular  which  we  watched  for  some  time,  the 
proud  possessor  of  a  brilliant  green,  strongly  marked  egg— as  usual,  to  all 
appearance  quite  out  of  proportion  to  her  own  size — which  she  arranged  and 
rearranged  under  her,  trying  with  beak  and  wing  to  tuck  the  sharp  end  between 
her  legs,  but  never  quite  satisfied  that  it  was  covered  as  it  should  be.  But  for 
the  wonderful  provision  for  its  safety  in  the  shape  of  the  guillemot's  egg  (a  round, 
flat-sided  wedge,  which  makes  it,  when  pushed,  turn  round  on  the  point  instead  of 
rolling,  a.s  eggs  of  the  usual  form  if  placed  on  a  bare  rock  would  do),  most  of 
those  we  saw  would  probably  have  been  dashed  to  pieces  long  before."  (T. 
Digby  Pigott's  Birds  of  the  Outer  Faroes,  1888.) 


THE   CORMORANT   AND   ITS   NKST. 


103 


em  Maine  at  the  end  of  April.  The  next  day  a  white- 
faced  wasp  (l'i's/>a  maailata)  flew  aboard  the  vessel. 
The  day  was  spent  in  searching  for  eider  nests,  of  which 
I  found  a  dozen  in  the  "  tucking-bush,"  with  thirty  eggs, 
and  the  rude  nests  and  eggs  of  the  saddle-back  gull. 

June  i6th  was  a  beautiful  day,  rather  warm,  with  light 
winds  from  the  east  and  south,  or  quite  calm.  In  the 
afternoon  a  shower  passea  over  from  the  west,  and  at  night 
the  wind  was  northerly  ;  \\iC  southwest  summer  winds  had 
not  yet  set  in,  the  prevailing  winds  being  northerly.  We 
spent  the  day  in  a  search  for  the  eggs  of  the  "  waupigan  " 
or  common  cormorant,  and  those  of  the  shag  or  double- 
crested  cormorant ;  William,  a  very  intelligent  French 
Canadian,  takingusto  their  nesting-place  in  his  row-boat. 
The  nests  were  situated  on  a  high  cliff,  a  sort  of  shelf. 
We  let  William  down  over  the  precipice  with  a  rope. 
There  were  fifty-five  nests  in  all,  and  over  them  rose 
flocks  of  cormorants  disturbed  at  our  coming;  they  were 
very  shy  and  flew  rapidly  far  off",  wheeling  about  in  cir- 
cles, but  not  daring  to  come  near  the  nesting-place. 
There  were  five  eggs  in  a  nest ;  the  latter  were  about 
20  inches  in  outside  diameter,  built  of  thick  birch  limbs, 
whitened,  as  was  the  rocky  shelf,  with  the  excrement  of 
the  birds,  and  the  entire  neighborhood  was  pervaded 
with  a  far-reaching  and  intolerable  stench  of  decaying 
fish.  The  eggs  of  the  common  cormorant  are  said  to  be 
laid  earlier  in  the  season  than  those  of  any  other  bird  ; 
they  are  long,  pointed,  and  of  a  dirty  tea-color,  some 
nearly  white.  The  shags'  nests,  mixed  with  those  of  the 
waupigan,  were  situated  in  another  place  adjoining. 
They  are  usually  laid  on  the  bare  rock,  and  William  was 
surprised  to  find  them  on  the  precipice.     The  eggs  are 


t 


% 


"smmmmmmm 


^, 


104      A  summkr's  cruisk  to  nortiikrn  i.ahrador. 

smaller  than  those  of  the  common  cormorant,  are  whiter 
and  more  pointed,  and  are  laid  later  than  those  of  any 
other  bird. 

On  our  return  we  went  by  invitation  into  William's 
house  ;  his  children  were  attractive  in  looks,  with  fine 
eyes.  This  family  and  a  neighboring  one  were  the  two 
leading  I'rcnch  Canadian  families  on  the  coast.  They 
told  us  that  it  was  harder  to  gain  a  livelihood  than  here- 
tofore, the  game  and  tish  getting  scarcer.  Still,  one 
family  winter  before  last  shot  1 100  partridges.  William, 
by  the  way,  told  us  that  there  were  four  varieties  of  part- 
ridge :  the  spruce  partridge,  and  the  white  or  ptarmigan, 
of  which  they  distinguish  the  mountain  ptarmigan  and 
the  river  ptarmigan,  the  latter  the  rarest  ;  the  fourth  kind 
they  call  the  pheasant.  The  partridges  were  said  to  be 
now  laying  their  eggs.  William  raised  last  year  twenty- 
five  bushels  of  potatoes,  also  turnips,  while  barley,  hav- 
ing three  months  to  grow,  ripens  on  this  inhospitable 
coast.  Sheep  might  be  raised  ;  there  were  no  cows, 
though  to  the  westward  they  are  kept  the  year  through. 
We  were  told  that  a  walrus  was  killed  near  St.  Augus- 
tine within  twenty-five  years,  and  that  two  had  been  seen 
in  this  vicinity  since  then.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
the  walrus  formerly  abounded  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence, having  been  rendered  extinct  by  the  early  fisher- 
men on  the  Magdalen  Islands. 

We  saw  an  egging  vessel  at  a  distance.  The  "egg- 
ers  "  watch  their  chances  to  take  great  quantities  of  eggs 
of  sea-birds,  especially  those  of  the  eider-duck  and 
murres.  But  there  are  now  few  who  follow  this  illegal 
and  nefarious  occupation.  Twenty  years  ago  the  busi- 
ness was  at  its  height,  and  a  schooner  would  load  a  cargo 


I 


\  .u 


i 


TKANSPARLNCV   OK    IIIK   WATER. 


105 


of  65  barrels  of  c^^s  ami  take  them  to  the  States  or  up 
the  St.  Lawrence  River  to  Quebec  or  Montreal.  Of  late 
years  they  would  give  half  of  what  they  ftmiul  to  the 
settlers  on  the  coast  as  hush-money.  When  colh'cting 
the  eggs  they  would  make  "caches"  of  them,  covering 
the  heaps  with  moss  ;  and  if  they  were  on  the  point  of 
being  caught  they  woidd  smash  the  whole  cargo  of  eggs 
rather  than  be  seized  with  them.  Many  are  the  adven- 
tures which  the  eggers  have  passed  through,  and  the 
stories  told  of  them  rival  the  tales  of  smugglers  and  pri- 
vateersmen  on  more  favored  shores.  They  still  collect 
anr   ."antonly  destroy  the  eggs  of  murres. 

'1  lie  eggs  of  the  eider-ducks  we  found  to  make  a  good 
omelet,  but  those  of  the  murres  and  gulls  were  too  fishy 
to  be  palatable  ;  the  food  of  the  murres  and  puffin  as  well 
as  gulls  consisting  largely  of  small  fish,  such  as  capeliii 
and  lance  fish  (^Ainmoifytcs).  We  saw  male  eiders  two 
years  old  ;  they  were  brown  with  a  little  white ;  we  were 
told  that  the  eider  is  four  years  in  arriving  at  maturity ; 
the  guillemot  only  two  years  ;  the  puffins  and  murres 
becoming  adult  in  one  year.  The  eider-duck  is  easily 
domesticated,  and  the  young  will  follow  a  person  to 
whom  they  are  accustomed  like  a  dog. 

As  soon  as  our  vessel  came  into  shallow  water,-- and  in 
our  boat  excursions  we  were  constantly  impressed  by  the 
transparency  of  the  water  on  this  coast — we  could  look 
down  for  thirty  or  forty  feet  and  see  with  distinctness  the 
bottom  with  dark  masses  of  sea-urchins  and  starfish. 
The  water  is  more  transparent  than  on  the  Florida  coast. 
Indeed  the  fishermen  sometimes  complain  of  this  prop- 
erty of  the  water,  saying  that  the  fish  can  see  the  nets  too 
readily  and  do  not  enter  them.     The  water  is  so  clear 


106        A   summer's   cruise   to-  northern   LABRADOR. 


1   ' 
:1  f  .>  it 


I  :s 


that  the  Ctenophores,  Idyia  roseola  and  Pleurobrachia^  as 
well  as  another  kind  I  could  not  secure,  were  beautifully 
distinct  far  down  in  the  pellucid  depths.  Fishing  had 
begun  at  this  locality  to-day,  the  cod  having  struck  in. 
It  is  evident  that  the  ice  having  disappeared  for  nearly  a 
month  the  water  inshore  undoubtedly  had  grown  warm 
enough  to  allow  the  cod  and  other  fish  to  come  into  shoal- 
water  and  spawn.  It  was  manifest  that  as  the  season 
opened  later  and  later  from  south  to  north,  the  move- 
ment inshore  would  be  la^.er  and  later  from  south  to  north, 
and  this  fact  has  undoubtedly  given  rise  to  the  popular 
impression  that  the  cod  and  other  fish  migrated  from  the 
southern  to  the  northern  portions  of  the  coast  of  our 
continent. 

I  anxiously  questioned  William  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
interior  of  Labrador.  He  told  me  that  there  were  plains 
and  terraces  inland  ;  that  there  were  toads  and  frogs  and 
"  lizards,"  which  being  interp  2ted  undoubtedly  means 
the  salamander,  most  probably  Plethodon  glutinosus  of 
Baird.  He  had  been  here  twenty  years  before  he  saw 
a  grasshopper,  but  this  was  not  on  the  coast,  but  in  the 
interior ;  and  I  know  scarcely  a  better  criterion  of  an 
arctic  land-fauna  than  the  entire  absence  of  grasshoppers 
on  the  Labrador  coast,  since  none  occur  in  the  circum- 
polar  regions,  either  treeless  Arctic  America,  Greenland 
or  Spitzbergen  ;  but  the  interior  wooded  portion  of  the 
Labrador  peninsula  supports  a  truly  boreal  or  "  Canadian" 
insect  fauna,  with  grasshoppers. 

Among  the  insects  found  were  the  showy  caterpillars 
o{  Arctia  caja  and  a  weevil.  Of  the  more  noticeable 
flowers,  there  were  a  pink  Arenaria,  and  a  leek-like  plant 
which  I  have  often  seen  on  the  summit  of  Mt.  Washington. 


CARIBOU    ISLAND. 


107 


The  1 7th  we  weighed  anchor,  and  with  light  winds 
and  some  rain  early  in  the  morning,  but  a  strong  north- 
easterly head-wind  in  the  forenoon,  we  made  only  twenty- 
five  miles  during  the  day.  The  coast  along  our  course 
was  of  very  even  height,  the  monotonous  outline  being 
relieved  by  an  occasional  elevation.  The  rock  was  of 
syenite  with  its  characteristic  scenic  features.  It  was  of 
warm,  reddish  flesh  tints,  but  full  of  chinks  and  cracks, 
made  by  the  water  percolating  or  running  into  them  and 
freezing,  resulting  in  the  cracking  and  disruption  of  large 
rock  masses.  Then  the  continued  action  of  the  frost 
year  after  year  widens  the  chinks  into  gulches,  with  even, 
precipitous  sides,  now  filled  with  snow-banks  ten  or 
fifteen  feet  long,  and  sometimes  a  dozen  or  more  rods 
in  extent,  their  edges  bordered  with  arctic  flowers.  The 
hills  were  barren  on  top,  with  mosi  and  dwarf  spruce  in 
the  cavities  or  ravines.  Here  and  there  were  to  be  seen 
clumps  of  grass,  but  the  herbage  in  a  Labrador  fore- 
ground is  not  grasses  or  sedges,  but  low  shrubby  woody 
plants  such  as  the  dwarf  cranberry,  the  curlew-berry 
{^E^tipetrum  nigrunt),  etc.,  which  form  a  dense  uniform 
carpet  of  varied  but  dull  green  hues. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  i8th  we  dropped  anchor  near 
Caribou  Island,  and  on  landing  found  Mr.  Carpenter,  the 
missionary  of  these  shores,  who  had  befriended  us  in  so 
many  ways  while  camping  on  this  island  in  the  summer 
of  i860.  He  was  well  and  prospering  in  his  good  work. 
I  lost  no  time  in  borrowing  a  spade  and  digging  for 
quaternary  fossils,  and  was  rewarded  with  the  discovery 
of  several  species  not  detected  in  i860;  among  these 
were  Serripes  groenlandicus,  Buccinum  widatiim,  etc. 

On  the  evening  before  June  20,  the  longest  day  of  the 


■ 


It 


:!f 


■f 


1   Ml    !• 


I08        A   SUMMP:r'S   cruise   to   northern   LABRADOR. 

year,  I  could  read  fine  print  until  half-past  eleven  at 
ni^ht.  The  next  morning  I  dredged  in  eight  fathoms 
before  weighing  anchor,  and  was  delighted  to  find  several 
large  specimens  of  a  delicate  bivalve  shell  (Pandorina 
arenosa)',  it  was  afterwards  dredged  up  the  coast  at 
Long  Island  in  fifteen  fathoms  in  sand  and  stony  bottom. 
It  had  not  before  been  found  south  of  the  polar  seas  ; 
its  discovery  so  far  south  was  interesting  from  the  fact 
that  we  had  found  it  in  a  fossil  state  in  sandy  strata  of 
clay  at  Brunswick,  Me.,  and  had  also  been  found  in  the 
quaternary  clays  at  Saco,  Me.,  by  Mr.  C.  B.  Fuller.  The 
association  of  this  shell  with  Nticula  expmisa  (antiqua) 
in  the  brick-yard  clays  gives  positive  proof  that  during 
the  wane  of  the  ice  period  the  shore  of  Maine  was  the 
home  of  a  truly  polar  assemblage  of  marine  animals,  and 
that  then  as  now  on  this  coast  these  shells  were  not  con- 
fined to  deep  water,  but  lived  in  shallow  retired  bays  in 
water  not  over  fifty  feet  in  depth. 

Throughout  the  day  we  were  in  sight  of  the  butte-like 
Bradore  Hills,  the  highest  of  the  three  mountains  being 
1264  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Gulf.  As  these  moun- 
tains overlook  the  scene  of  Jacques  Cartier's  explorations 
in  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  we  would  suggest  that  the 
highest  of  the  three  elevations  be  named  Mt.  Cartier. 

On  the  shores  of  Bradore  Bay  are  still  to  be  seen,  it 
is  said,  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  port  of  Brest,  which 
was  founded  by  the  Bretons  and  Normans  about  the 
year  1500.  The  ruins  are  situated  about  three  miles 
west  of  the  present  boundary  of  Canada  at  Blanc  Sablon. 
Samuel  Roberton  states  in  his  Notes  on  the  Coast  of 
Labrador  :  "  As  to  the  truth  of  Louis  Robert's  remarks 
there  can  be  no  doubt,  as  maybe  seen  from  the  ruins  and 


11 


MOUNT  CARTIER. 


109 


terraces  of  the  buildings,  which  were  chiefly  constructed 
of  wood.  I  estimate  that  at  one  time  it  contained  200 
houses,  besides  stores,  etc.,  and  perhaps  1000  inhabitants 
in  the  winter,  which  would  be  trebled  during  the  sum- 
mer. Brest  was  at  the  height  of  its  prosperity  about  the 
year  1600,  and  about    thirty  years  later  the  whole  tribe 


e,'      i-'ii^^'^^i: 


'-^1>%i   ■ 


-'  t'.  ,*&"' 


'^  -.-Ki^i^J 


THE   BRADORE   HILLS,   THE   HIGHEST    PEAK    MT.    CARTIER, 

of  the  Eskimos,  who  had  given  the  French  so  much 
trouble,  were  totally  extirpated  or  expelled  from  that 
region.  After  this  the  town  began  to  decay,  and 
towards  the  close  of  the  century  the  name  was  changed 
to  Bradore." 


I 
I    I 

'    i 


"flr  i! 


I 


m\^ 


\  \ 


li  1: 


;  ;■  f 

;    ^1 

'i      I 

i    :      I 
i  II 


I 


IIO        A   summer's   cruise   to    northern   LABRADOR. 

By  sundown  our  vessel  had  made  only  ten  miles,  be- 
ing off  Belles  Amours,  with  a  southerly  and  very  light 
breeze.  The  sunset  was  a  glorious  one,  while  the  moon 
rose  through  the  haze  and  mirage  over  the  snow-banks 
of  the  Newfoundland  coast.  At  three  in  the  afternoon 
we  saw  several  miles  ahead  of  us  the  fields  of  ice  which 
we  were  soon  to  encounter,  choking  up  the  straits,  and 
enhanced  in  apparent  extent  by  the  mirage.  The  Labra- 
dor coast,  along  which  we  were  sailing,  is  very  bold  and 
bluff-like,  with  lower  points  of  land  reaching  out  to  us 
in  a  picturesque  way,  the  remarkably  even  outline  of  the 
coast  being  interrupted  by  the  Bradore  Hills. 

The  dredge  was  put  down  about  two  miles  from  shore 
in  from  ten  to  fifteen  fathoms  on  a  hard,  stony  bottom, 
with  good  success.  Beautiful  specimens  of  Lucernaria 
quadricornis,  four  inches  in  height  and  of  a  dull  amber 
brown,  came  up  in  the  same  dredge  with  that  superb 
naked  mollusc,  Detidronotus  arborescens,  which  were  of  a 
beautiful  amber  hue,  dotted  with  white  points.  From 
the  stomachs  of  fishes  caught  by  some  of  the  party  were 
extracted  specimens  of  a  rare  arctic  crab  {CJiion(£cetes 
opilio)y  which  proved  to  be  not  uncommon  in  from  ten 
to  fifty  fathoms  in  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle. 

The  next  day,  from  nine  in  the  morning  until  three  in 
the  afternoon,  we  moved  slowly  through  the  floe-ice, 
which  proved  to  be  the  outskirts  of  the  immense  fields 
of  ice  which  this  summer  lined  the  northern  coast  of 
Labrador.  Mr.  Bradford  kept  his  photographer  busily 
at  work  taking  views  of  the  more  remarkable  forms.  The 
splendid  green  hues,  so  varied  and  striking ;  the  endless 
variety  in  the  water-worn  forms ;  the  weird  noises,  now 
harsh  and  grating,  now  loud  and  roaring,  produced  by  the 


// 


CTENOPHORES   IN   THE   FLOE-ICE. 


Ill 


attrition  of  the  cakes  of  ice  ground  together  by  the  slight 
swell  or  the  conflicting  currents,  lent  unending  interest 
to  the  scene.  The  floes  had  evidently  the  air  of  tired 
and  worn  travellers ;  they  had  been  borne  for  at  least  a 
thousand  miles  from  Baffin's  Bay  ;  had  been  thrown  upon 
one  another  by  storms  and  ocean  currents,  broken  and 
frozen  together  over  and  over  again. ;  they  were  now  rap- 
idly melting  away  in  the  bright,  warm  sun,  for  the  water 
was  filled  with  bits  of  clear  dark  ice,  the  fragments  of  large 
floes.  Our  vessel,  her  sails  scarcely  filled  out  by  the  light 
baffling  breeze,  rose  and  fell,  ploughing  her  way  through 
the  yielding  floes.  The  water  between  the  cakes  was 
alive  with  bits  of  animated  ice,  myriads  of  transparent 
Ctenophores  crowding  the  sea  from  the  surface  to  a  depth 
of  a  fathom  or  more.  The  roseate  Iciyia,  throwing  ofif 
the  most  delicate  reddish  tints,  seemed  be- 
sides to  reflect  the  delicate  blues  and 
greens  cast  off  by  the  floes  ;  an  Alcinoe- 
like  form, -floating  on  its  side,  with  blood- 
red  tentacles,  rose  and  sank  among  the  ice- 
cakes,  and  with  these  in  lesser  numbers 
was  associated  that  beautiful  spherical  liv- 
ing ball  of  ice,  the  Beroe  or  PleurohracJiia 

1     J   J      1    1  T-i        Ai-  Ti        r  ^"^'''    roseola,    nat- 

rkoaodactyla.  1  he  Alcinoe-like  lorm  was  urai  size. 
the  Mertensia  ovum,  a  creature  as  fragile  as  it  is  beauti- 
ful. It  is  of  a  delicate  pink  color,  with  iridescent  hues; 
the  ovaries  bright  red,  the  deep  purple-red  tentacles  in 
striking  contrast  with  the  delicate  tints  of  the  body  itself. 
From  this  point  until  we  reached  Hopedale  in  lat.  55^ 
30'  it  constantly  occurred  in  the  floe-ice,  but  was  rarely 
seen  in  waters  from  which  the  ice  had  disappeared,  as  in 
harbors  free  from  ice  the  Mertensia  would  keep  out  of 


!   I 


t  i 


f! 


I  • 


mr^ 


M 


.11  ! 


112        A   SUMMERS  CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN   LABRADOR. 

view  near  the  bottom  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  ice  drifted  in 
and  choked  up  any  harbor  we  were  in,  myriads  could  be 
seen  near  the  surface,  rising  and  falling  between  the  ice- 
cakes,  gracefully  throwing  out  their  tentacles,  which 
were  nearly  two  feet  in  length,  and  suddenly  withdraw- 
ing them  when  disturbed.  No  true  jelly-fish  were  to  be 
seen  ;  the  season  was  early  for  them,  but  the  beautiful 
polar  shell-less  snail,  the  Clione  limacina,  with  its  long 
wings  and  bright  red  tints,  was  not  uncommon. 

Stopped  by  the  ice  early  the  next  morning  we  came 
to  anchor  at  Belles  Amours,  waiting  for  a  change  of  wind 
to  allow  a  passage  past  or  through  the  floe-ice.  The 
coast  is  high,  abrupt,  and  precipitous.  Numerous 
streams  well  stocked  with  trout  tumble  into  the  sea,  and 
the  drift  deposits,  of  limited  extent,  consisted  of  coarse 
gravels  and  bowlders  of  syenite. 

We  looked  for  insects,  finding  nothing  of  particular 
interest,  though  noticing  that  the  ants  had  just  come  out 
of  their  winter  quarters.  Glad  enough  were  we  to  find  a 
snail  {Hyalina  electrina),  and  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom 
of  the  ponds  a  little  bivalve  shell  (Pistdium)  ;  under 
stones  in  the  brooks  were  larval  stones-flies  and  Ephem- 
erae ;  while  a  little  salamander  {Plethodon  glutinosus) 
of  a  slate  color  with  a  paler  light  dorsal  band  ran  into 
the  water,  to  my  great  disappointment  just  eluding  my 
grasp,  as  it  is  doubtful  if  any  salamander  occurs  much 
farther  north  on  the  coast  than  this  species. 

Here  the  alders  were  still  in  blossom,  showing  that 
the  season  had  just  opened,  though  the  shadberry,  the 
golden  thread  {Coptis)  and  the  bunch-berry  {Cornus 
canadensis)  were  likewise  in  bloom  ;  on  the  other  hand 
the  mountain-ash  was  just  unfolding  its  buds. 


THE   KILLEK. 


113 


Dredgings  carried  on  in  so  shallow  water  as  four  and 
six  fathoms  revealed  pelicans'  feet  {aporrhais)  in  abun- 
dance and  very  fine  large  Serripes  groenlandica,  and  with 
thein  in  the  mud  and  sand  a  great  abundance  of  nemer- 
tean  and  other  worms,  and  Amphipod  Crustacea,  with 
fine  examples  of  Cnma  bispinosa. 

The  principal  house-owner  at  this  fishing-station  was 
a  Mr.  Buckle,  who  had  been  out  here  for  twelve  years 
from  Boston.  To  his  comfortable  house  was  attached  a 
conservatory  and  garden.  Though  the  scanty  soil  on 
this  barren  point  looked  unpromising  enough,  it  was 
comparatively  rich.  He  had  built  his  own  schooner,  a 
vessel  of  thirty  tons. 

On  the  beach  was  the  skull  of  a  "  killer"  ;  it  had  re- 
cently been  brought  ashore  and  was  surrounded  by  a 
number  of  hungry  whelks  {Jhiccinuui  Hndaiiuii)  wiiich 
were  cleaning  off  the  flesh  from  the  bones.  The  killer 
is  the  most  voracious  of  the  smaller  cetaceans,  and  is  the 
bulldog  among  the  whales.  The  head  is  very  blunt,  the 
skull  thick,  the  jaws  powerful,  the  teeth  longer  than 
those  of  the  grampus.  It  is  at  once  known  when  swim- 
ming in  the  water  by  its  high,  narrow,  pointed  dorsal 
fm,  which  projects  five  or  six  feet  out  of  water.  It  at- 
tacks with  great  boldness  and  pertinacity  the  right  and 
finback  whales,  gouging  out  from  their  lips  and  side 
lumps  of  flesh,  and,  as  Captain  Handy  told  me,  is  espe- 
cially fond  of  the  whale's  tongue. 

The  next  day  we  walked  inland,  following  up  the 
stream  which  empties  into  the  Gulf  at  Belles  Amours. 
We,  however,  took  the  wrong  side  of  the  brook  and  failed 
to  see  the  cascade  where  the  stream,  as  we  were  told, 
falls  down  over  a  precipice  forty  feet  high  ;  but  irom  a 


li 


iiir 


i 

\ . 

r 

!! 

1   ; 

i 

1  , 

114        A    SUMMERS   CKUISK   TO    NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 

hill  perhaps  five  hundred  feet  high,  which  overlooked  the 
country,  we  could  trace  the  course  of  the  hrook  for  about 
two  miles,  where  it  ran  down  a  steep  ravine,  with  ponds 
on  either  side,  from  which  flowed  streams  sending  thin 
and  broken  sheets  of  water  over  steep  precipices.  The 
lake  from  which  the  stream  issued  was  perhaps  a  mile 
long,  situated  on  high  land,  and  a  foaming  stream  poured 
into  it  from  the  northwest,  while  farther  on  in  another 
depression  was  probably  a  second  lake  like  the  one  in 
view.  Such  is  an  ordinary  Labrador  stream — a  chain  of 
ponds  connected  by  rapids  or  waterfalls.  There  was  a 
dreary  sameness  to  the  surface  of  the  country,  relieved, 
however,  by  a  few  snow-banks.  During  our  ramble  we 
heard  the  familiar  liquid  notes  of  the  wood  thrush,  anr^ 
saw  some  coots  flying  over  the  pond.  In  the  afternor.; 
the  wind  hauled  into  the  eastward  and  was  followed  by 
rain. 

The  24th  was  misty  and  drizzly  ;  the  wind  east  veering 
to  the  northeast.  We  dredged  all  the  afternoon,  part  of 
the  time  scraping  a  coralline  bottom.  An  arctic  sea-cu- 
cumber (^Pentacta  calcigerd)  was  common  in  five  fathoms 
in  mud,  with  the  largest  Serripes  yet  met  with.  The 
most  interesting  form  brought  up  was  a  beautiful  hydroid 
{Coryne  mirabilis)  growing  on  the  red  sea-weed  (^Ptilota 
elegans).  It  was  anchored  by  its  stalk,  with  bell-shaped 
medusae  attached,  which  were  provided  with  four  pink 
eyes  and  short,  thick,  knotted  tentacles,  the  pendant 
proboscis  being  very  long,  club-shaped  and  of  a  pinkish 
hue. 

While  lying  at  anchor  a  few  boat's  lengths  from  shore 
we  were  visited  by  two  or  three  weasels,  which  must 
have  swum  off  to  the  vessel.     They  were  exceedingly 


nEI.I.ES    AMOURS. 


lis 


tame,  approaching  within  a  foot  of  my  finger  even  when 
it  was  kept  in  motion. 

On  one  side  of  our  harbor  was,  as  at  Caribou  Island,  a 
sandy  beach  where  the  fishermen  could  haul  their  nets 
for  lance.  The  Newfoundlanders  would  come  here  in 
their  clumsy  boats  from  a  distance  of  eight  miles,  where 
their  vessels  were  at  anchor,  and  seine  for  lance  fish. 
Thcv  made  a  oreat  deal  of  noise  about  it,  though  there 
were  only  two  boats  ;  one  man  would  stand  up  in  the 
stern  paying  out  the  net,  while  the  full  boat's  crew  would 
row  rapidly  around  the  fish,  and  another  man  standing  up 
to  his  waist  jn  the  water  hauled  in  the  net ;  in  this  way 
four  barrels  of  fish  are  often  caught  at  a  single  haul. 

Mr.  Phoenix,  one  of  our  party,  here  caught  a  young 
salmon  eight  inches  long.  The  next  day  (the  25th) 
saw  us  still  weather-bound  with  thick  fog  and  rain,  clear- 
ing up  towards  the  evening.  In  codfish  caught  at  a 
depth  of  fifteen  or  twenty  fathoms  we  found  large  fine 
specimens  of  the  lobworm  (Areincola  pzscatoruni)  2iV\6. 
a  fine  polar  shrimp  {Crangon  horcas).  To-day  I  found 
the  first  Cyanca  or  nettling  jelly-fish,  the  species  which 
grows  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland  by  the  end  of 
summer,  two  feet  in  diameter,  with  long,  trailing  ten- 
tacles sometimes  six  fathoms  in  length  ;  it  is  these 
feelers,  filled  with  microscopic  darts  or  lasso-cells,  which 
become  entangled  with  the  lines  and  poison  the  hands 
of  the  fishermen.  As  yet  not  a  common  jelly-fish,  the 
Aurelia  aurita,  had  been  seen. 

The  next  day  we  were  released  from  our  prison  ;  a 
fresh  northwest  wind  cleared  the  ice  from  the  shore,  and 
our  good  ship  made  a  fine  run  to  Henley  Harbor  ;  time 
from  6  A.M.  to  3.30  p.m.     As  we  sailed  out  of  the  harbor 


il 


■ii'il 


\  \ 


I  ! 


Ml 


!'!? 


I'  ^1 


r   ! 


II  ii 


«  V. 


ii6 


A    SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO    NORIHKRN    LABRADOR. 


we  could  see  that  the  low  point  running  out  into  the 
Gulf  from  the  Laurentian  background  of  syenite  was  the 
western  extremity  of  the  basin  of  Cambrian  red  sand- 
stones and  grits  which  extend  between  Belles  Amours 
and  Anse-au-Sablon.  Skirting  the  coast  within  a  mile 
or  two  of  these  interesting  series  of  rocks,  they  are  seen 
to  rise  to  a  height  of  five  or  six  hundred  feet,  forming 
the  coast  line,  but  with  a  contour  tame  and  monotonous 
compared  with  the  syenitic  hills  of  Bradore.  The  belt  is 
a  narrow  one,  and  while  sailing  past  the  shore  we  could 
look  up  through  the  harbors  and   bays  to  the   low  coni- 


cal hills  of  Laurentian  gneiss  in  Un 


interior.      Passing 


by  Bradore  Bay  the  lofty  buttes  of  Bradore'  are  seen  to 
rise  up  from  the  low  foreground  of  red  sandstone.  We 
then  passed  within  sight  of  Greenly  Island,  where  in  1856, 
during  a  severe  southwest  gale,  so  sudden  and  common 
in  the  strait,  thirty-one  vessels  for  want  of  good  anchor- 
age and  shelter  were  driven  upon  a  lee  shore.  Parra- 
keet  Island  then  hove  in  sight,  a  favorite  breeding-place 
for  the  parrakeet  or  puffin,  with  a  single  house  on  it, 
the  hospitable  mansion  of  a  member  of  the  ubiquitous 
Jones  family,  where  in  i860  a  party  from  our  camp  on 
Caribou  Island  received  board  and  lodging  for  which 
only  thanks  would  be  accepted. 

We  then  sight  Blanc  Sablon.  The  land  here  is  high 
and  descends  to  the  sea  in  five  very  distinct  terraces,  of 
which  the  second  is  much  the  highest.  There  were 
huge  bowlders  of  grit  on  the  beach  ;  the  raised  beaches 
were  packed  with  bowlders  and  the  terraces  in  general 
direction  appeared  in  perspective,  as  if  dipping  up  the 
strait ;  like  river-terraces  they  were  parallel  to  each 
other,  but  the  lower  one  gradually  dips  down  and  loses 


TIIK   PRIMOKDIAL   SANDSTONES. 


117 


itself  in  the  water,  while  another  slopes  in  the  opposite 
direction.  The  higher  terraces  appear  as  if  wooded  or 
green.  There  were  indeed  three  shades  of  green  :  in  the 
lower  terrace  the  debris  is  covered  with  a  pale  green 
herbage  ;  the  older  vegetation  is  darker,  while  the  upper 
rusty  green  tint  is  very  dark. 

At  Blanc  Sablon,  which  was  originally  so  named  by 
Jacques  Cartier,  the  settlement  consists  of  twenty 
houses  ;  they  were  painted  white  and  from  the  vessel 
appeared  like  masses  of  floe-ice  stranded  on  the  shore. 
Of  the  houses  four  are  "rooms,"  or  lishing-establish- 
nicnts. 

We  then  pass  the  hshing-settlement  of  Forteau,'with 
a  lighthouse  on  the  point,  besides  about  twenty  houses, 
and  a  Catholic  church.  OIT  the  lighthouse  is  Shallop 
Island  ;  the  harbor  is  two  or  three  miles  deep,  walled  in 
bv  vertical  cliffs,  furrowed  and  streaked  by  rain  and  frost. 
Into  the  harbor  empties  a  salmon  stream  ;  one  man  here 
seems  to  have  the  monopoly  of  the  salmon  fishery,  put- 
ting up  from  twenty  to  sixty  barrels  a  year  ;  they  are  salted 
and  sent  to  Europe. 

Now  as  we  pass  on,  the  bay  opens  and  at  its  head 
we  can  see  the  Laurentian  formation,  with  its  low,  ob- 
tusely pointed  gneiss  hills ;  but  the  general  surface  of 
the  Labrador  coast  is  very  uniform,  while  the  opposite 
shores  of  Newfoundland  now  recede  and  appear  to  be 
much  lower.  The  strait  is  about  eleven  miles  wide  in 
its  narrowest  part. 

Sailing  on  but  half  a  mile  off  shore  at  Anse-au-Loup, 
we  can  plainly  see  that  the  Cambrian  rocks  are  red  and 
gray  sandstones — that  the  strata,  almost  horizontal,  dip 
a  little  to  the  west,  descending  to  the  strait  by  three 


!T 


i|i 


Ii8 


A    SIMMKKS   CRUISK     lO    NoRlllKKN    I.AliUA  DOR. 


lock-lcnacL's  or  shelves.  A  lar<i^c  brook  here  plun|Lj:es 
in  a  broad  sheet  uf  foam  straight  down  into  the  sea.  'I'he 
east  side  of  the  harl)or  of  Anse-au-Loup  is  much  higher 
than  tlie  western,  tiie  surface  is  irre^uhir,  and  the  but- 
tressed steeps  recall  the  Palisades  of  the  Hudson.  Tiien 
we  pass  along  a  beautiful  green  glacis,  and  on  the 
northwest  face  of  the  bluff  are  live  terraces,  with  ihe 
sandstone  strata  slightly  inclined.  Here  on  the  lowest 
bluff  are  to  be  seen  four  terraces  (Fig.  /?). 

In  the  bay  east  of  Anse-au-Loup,  whose  shores  seemed 


I' » 


\  ■  !i 


I      i 


-    ■  — 1 — 

""      s'vV^WX 

--       - 

.^^^^ 

A 

«-Jlf 

- 

'W"WW 

^.TERRACES   AT   BLANC     SABLON  ;     B,      AT    ANSE-AU-LOL 1'  ;      C,  TERRACES    SEEN 
FROM   THE   MOUTH     OF    A    3/ Y    EAST    OF    ANSE-Al-I.OUP. 

to  be  well  wooded,  we  can  again  look  through  to  the 
original  broken  Laurentian  rock,  and  the  Cambrian 
sandstone  (Fig.  C)  runs  out  into  a  low  point  terminat- 
ing in  a  low,  shelving,  green  glacis.  On  this  point  is 
the  fishing-hamlet  of  Semedit  (a  corruption  of  Saint 
Modeste),  with  but  two  houses. 

The  wind  freshened  off  the  cliffs,  and  now  sailing  on. 


HKLLE   ISLK. 


119 


the  rouijh  and  fissured  svcnitic  coast  is  in  marked  con- 
trast  to  (he  Cambrian  sliorcs  we  had  just  lefl.  Going 
farther  on  we  pass  from  syenitic  to  gneiss  rocks,  which 
rise  from  the  water  in  long  swells. 

Belle  Isle,  tlu^  Isle  of  Demons  of  theearlv  navigators, 
now  heaves  in  aight  ;  the  Labrador  coast  is  more  sub- 
dued, the  shores  sloping  to  the  water's  etlge.  There  are 
no  islands  along  the  coast,  and  within  hve  miles  of 
Henley  Harbor  the  rock  becomes  entirely  gneiss  in  char- 
acter, and  we  lose  sight  of  the  rough,  hummocky  syen- 
itic hills,  though  masses  of  llesh-red  syenite  are  seen 
resting  upon  the  dark  gneiss  rocks,  forming  a  sea-wall. 

Now  that  notable  landmark,  the  Devil's  Dining 
Table,  appears  to  view,  and  we  soon  distinguish  Henley 
and  Castle  Islands,  the  two  latter  like  two  Hat  oblong 
blocks  laid  by  Cyclopean  hands  on  a  foundation  of  rock. 


n> 


I'  i 


CHAPTER   VII. 


A    SUMMERS     CRUISE    TO    NORTHERN    I,ABRADOR. 


II.    HENLEY    HARIJOR   TO    CAPE    ST.  MICMAEI,. 

As  we  entered  Henley  Harbor  the  scene  was  unique. 
The  strait  was  clear  of  ice,  though  a  few  days  earlier 
the  harbor  had  been  packed  with  it,  and  remnants  were 
stranded  along  the  shore  or  carried  hither  and  thither 
with  the  tides.  The  outlines  of  some  of  the  pieces  were 
beautiful ;  many  were  painted  with  green  tints  while 
the  sun  was  high,  but  later  in  the  afternoon  the  greens 
were  succeeded  by  bright  azure  blues,  contrasting  with 
the  almost  cobalt  blues  of  the  distant  Laurentian  hills. 
The  entrance  to  Henley  Harbor  is  very  fine,  the  sea- 
cliffs  being  over  200  feet  high,  while  behind  are  the  pe- 
culiar outlines  of  the  Laurentian  gneiss,  rising  in  long 
swells  like  whales'  backs  to  a  height  of  perhaps  five  or 
six  hundred  feet.  Henley  Harbor  lies  under  the  lofty, 
precipitous  basaltic  cliffs  of  the  Devil's  Dining  Table, 
which  caps  Henley  Island.  We  sail  through  a  fleet  of 
Newfoundland  fishermen,  whose  low,  thick  masts,  strong, 
'  lumsy  rigging,  and  ironed  and  planked  hulks — for  they 
were  sealers,  and  had  not  stopped  to  dofi  their  ice-armor 
— contrasted  with  the  beautiful  model,  slender,  tapering 
masts  and  spars  of  our  fleeter  craft.  Their  decks  were 
crowded  with  men,  women,  and  children,  dogs  and 
goats,  for  these  people  had,   like  the   old    Norsemen, 

brought  their  families  and  stock  with  them  for  a  sum- 

120 


THE   SEAL   FISHERY, 


121 


mer's  stay  on  the  coast.  Ashore,  under  the  dark,  beet- 
ling crag,  lay  the  fishing-hamlet  of  Henley  Harbor. 
The  houses  were  small  and  mean,  the  flat  roof  of  some 
covered  with  turf,  the  grass  or  moss  growing  on  them, 
while  the  fish-houses  and  "stages"  were  of  the  meanest 
description. 

After  coming  to  anchor  we  were  boarded  by  the  cap- 
tain of  one  of  the  sealers,  a  brigantine  of  perhaps  140  tons 
burden,  lately  in  from  Carbonear  in  Conception  Bay. 
Her  bows  and  also  her  sides  were  planked  and  heavily 
ironed  to  resist  the  ice  in  the  spring  sealing  in  the  Gulf. 
The  captain  had,  immediately  after  discharging  his  cargo 
of  sealskins  and  blubber — and  the  smells  rising  up 
through  the  hold  and  companion-way  j^roved  the  fact  ad 
nauseam — only  delayed  long  enough  in  port  to  put  in 
130  bushels  of  salt,  and  then  cleared  for  the  Labrador 
coast  without  stopping  to  strip  off  the  outer  planking. 
The  captain  was  an  intelligent,  stalwart,  English  born 
man  only  twenty  years  old,  who  had  been  to  sea  for  six 
years.  He  was  frank  and  communicative,  and  in  half 
an  hour  gave  us  some  insight  into  the  mysteries  of  fish- 
ing and  sealing.  He  had  inherited  the  business,  his  fa- 
ther having  been  a  sealer  for  fifty  years.  He  owned 
the  vessel  and  had  brought  along  a  cook  ;  he  took,  pas- 
sage free,  eleven  families,  numbering  130  souls,  men, 
women,  and  children,  with  goats,  dogs,  cats,  and  provi- 
sions-for  the  whole  party,  and  was  to  land  them  at  some 
harbor  on  the  coast  north  of  the  Strait,  where  they 
might  spend  the  fishing  season  in  their  rude  summer 
houses,  called  "  tilts." 

During  the  voyage  up  the  women  are  stowed  aft  and 
in  the  hold,  and  in   a  storm — and  when  are  there  two 


\-  MA 


r.i 


!    ■ 


11 


'     I 


\... 


mSSm 


nl 


11 

I 


Ij 


I 


i  i 


122         A   SUMMERS   CRUISK   TO    NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 

continuously  pleasant  days  on  this  coast  ? — the  hatches 
are  battened  down,  the  food  is  handed  to  them  through 
a  hole  in  the  cabin,  and  then  they  are  left  to  take  care 
of  themselves  as  best  they  can  until  the  storm  clears  off, 
when  the  hatches  are  removed,  and  the  forlorn  passen- 
gers can  take  a  breath  of  fresh  air. 

The  captain  does  not  take  an  active  part  in  the  fish- 
ing, but  makes  his  profits  by  charging  for  freight  on  the 
fish.  If  the  season  is  a  good  one  and  his  vessel  is  soon 
filled,  he  goes  back  to  Newfoundland  and  charters  more 
vessels  to  carry  back  all  the  fish  which  have  been  caught. 
The  season  lasts  from  the  end  of  June  until  about  the 
20th  of  October. 

The  season  for  the  seal  fishery  during  the  past  spring 
was  from  March  25th  until  June  4tii.  The  Gulf,  of 
course,  was  filled  with  ice,  no  water  being  in  sight  from 
shore.  A  successful  "catch"  of  seals  is  "better  than 
9000."  Each  vessel  carries  fourteen  boats,  which  are 
piled  up  on  deck  ;  four  men  man  a  boat ;  each  man  is 
provided  with  a  gaff  or  boat-hook  and  a  piece  of  ratline 
three  and  one-half  fathoms  long.  On  coming  up  to 
where  the  seals  are  lying,  the  crew  land  on  the  ice.  The 
sealer  runs  up  to  a  seal  lying  near  its  hole,  which  may  be 
only  a  rod  or  so  from  the  vessel  or  boat,  clubs  it — and 
it  is  easily  stunned  and  killed  with  one  or  two  blows — 
sculps  it,  then  peals  off  the  skin  and  blubber,  leaving 
the  carcass  on  the  ice-floe.  Each  man  can  tie  up  five 
sealskins,  and  drag  them  to  the  vessel,  and  sally  out 
again,  rushing  ahead  and  jacing  with  the  other  crews  of 
'*  bloodhounds."  The  scene  is  one  of  excitement  and 
peril,  the  ice  constantly  endangering  the  vessel,  which  is 
liable  to  be  "  nipped  "  and  to  founder,  leaving  the  ship- 


THE   SEAL   FISHERY. 


123 


wrecked  sealers  to  burn  their  vessel  and  make  their  way 
ashore  over  the  ice.  One  of  Mr.  Bradford's  most  suc- 
cessful paintings  represents  a  sealer  "nipped"  by  the 
ice,  the  crew  abandoning  her  after  having  set  fire  to  their 
vessel,  and  walking  with  mournful  steps  over  the  ice  in 
the  direction  of  land.  The  delicate  blues  of  the  ice, 
the  sullen,  neutral  tints  of  the  sky,  the  red  glare  of  tlie 
flames  breaking  out  of  the  burning  ship,  and  the  warm 
tints  of  the  costumes  of  the  men  in  the  foreground, 
vividly  portray  a  most  tragic  scene,  enacted  only  too 
often  on  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

To  return  to  our  statistics  :  a  "  crew  "  of  sealers  im 
the  ice  is  composed  of  fifty  men  ;  each  one,  if  successful, 
securing  five  seals.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  pelts  may 
be  brought  back  after  each  sally  from  the  vessel.  In 
this  way,  when  the  seals  are  abundant,  from  2500  to  3000 
sealskins  are  taken  in  a  single  day,  9000  making  a  cargo. 
The  shares  in  the  enterprise  are  ;!^6o  each  man.  The 
captain-  takes  half,  "leaving  the  men  in  the  lurch,"  as 
our  informant  said,  which  being  interpreted  means  that 
the  men  realize  little  or  no  profits  from  the  voyage. 

A  sealskin  is  worth  $4.00,  a  full  cargo,  perhaps,  sell- 
ing in  the  rough  to  traders  for  $30,000  or  $40,000  ;  the 
profits  on  a  full  cargo  are  therefore  considerable,  but  the 
men's  "half,"  being  distributed  among  a  large  number, 
does  not  amount  to  much  for  each  man.  This  spring 
(1864)  the  seal  fishery  was  a  failure. 

The  young  seals  are  killed  by  knocking  them  on  the 
head  with  a  boat-hook  or  club,  and  the  old  ones  by 
shooting  them  with  heavily  loaded  old  muskets.  The 
hunters  make  holes  in  the  ice  and  then  watch  for  their 
heads  to  appear  above  water.     Of  all  the  different  kinds 


;'!' 


!  ! 

ii  ' 

Ii  I 

'■i  1 


I: 


h'^r 


jj-l! 


ir 


■I  i 


124        A  summer's   cruise  to   northern  LABRADOR. 


!i|| 


of  seals,  the  Greenland  or  harp  seal  is  the  most  fero- 
cious. 

The  summer  at  Henley  Harbor  was  a  very  backward 
one  ;  the  salmon  had  not  yet  appeared  at  the  mouths  of 
the  bays  and  rivers ;  nor  had  the  cod  and  their  natural 
food,  the  capelin,  moved  in  from  the  deep  water.  The 
enormous  extent  of  floe-ice  which  skirted  the  coast  had 
lowered  the  temperature  of  the  sea  ;  at  the  same  time 
the  ice-fields  had  prevented  any  icebergs  from  entering 
the  Strait.  The  prevailing  winds  were  cold  and  easterly  ; 
the  cold  climate,  the  strong  tides  and  the  three-knot 
Labrador  current  passing  around  the  cape  into  and 
down  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  render  navigation  here 
uncertain  and  dangerous. 

June  27.  The  light  southeasterly  wind  brought  into 
the  Strait  the  fog  which  had  lain  all  the  day  previous 
outside  of  our  harbor,  and  inland  the  clouds  rested  on 
the  hills  ;  the  day  being  dark  and  lowery.  In  the  morn- 
ing some  of  us  rowed  three  miles  up  to  the  head  of  Pitt's 
Arm,  in  Temple  Bay,  a  deep  fjord  penetrating  the  high 
gneiss  hills,  into  which  pours,  over  a  stony  channel,  a 
rapid  trout  stream  about  five  yards  across.  The  sandy 
beach  was  an  ancient  sea-bottom  containing  deep-sea 
shells.*  On  each  side  of  the  mouth  of  the  brook  were 
two  terraces ;  on  the  upper  terrace,  which  was  about 
forty  feet  above  the  sea,  were  two  winter  houses.  I  par- 
ticularly observed  the  appearance  of  these  houses.  One 
was  21X15  feet  in  size,  the  walls  of  upright,  thick  boards, 
the  frame  of  poles  ;  the  flat  roof  was  constructed  of  poles 


*  The  shells  were  Buccinum  undatum,  a  variety  with  two  ribs  on  the  whorls; 
Saxicava  rugosa,  Mya  uddevallensis,  Alacoma  proxima,  Seriipes  groenlandica, 
Natica  clausa,  of  large  size,  and  a  branching  ipo\\zoon, Celleporaria  surcularis. 


A   WINTER   HOUSE. 


125 


placed  near  together  and  covered  with  birch  and  hemlock 
bark,  the  strips,  which  were  a  foot  wide,  being  placed 
crosswise;  the  eaves  were  scarcely  five  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  the  floor  was  in  part  of  boards  and  in  part  of 
turf.  The  door,  hung  on  iron  hinges,  and  closed  with  a 
wooden  latch  and  string,  was  only  four  and  a  half  feet 
high,  and  there  was  a  single  window,  16X15  inches. 
Within  were  three  beds  and  a  settle.  The  lumber  for 
these  shanties  had  evidently,  by  the  piles  of  sawdust  near 
by,  been  sawn  upon  the  spot  and  taken  from  the  Labra- 
dorian  forest  of  firs  near  at  hand,  which  measured  twelve 
inches  through  at  the  butt,  and  were  about  twenty  feet 
high.  In  their  branches  a  robin  and  a  sparrow  were  flit- 
ting about.  The  willow  bushes  were  here  five  feet 
in  height.  On  the  sides  of  the  sandy  terraces  were 
blackberry  and  raspberry  bushes,  and  currants,  shadber- 
ries, and  golden  thread  just  in  blossom,  while  i..j  alders 
were  still  in  flower. 

I  dredged  in  water  about  fifty  fathoms  deep,  in 
Chateau  Bay,  bringing  up,  among  molluscs,  fine  large 
Leda  permila,  Astarte  banksii,  Lyofisia  arenosa,  Car- 
diu7n  islandictim ;  rare  sandstars,  and  young  and  old 
arctic  crabs  {CJiioncecetes  opilid). 

The  28th  was  almost  wintry  in  its  cold,  changeable 
weather.  A  northeast  storm  raged,  with  a  few  drops  of 
rain  and  a  little  snow  in  the  forenoon,  while  after  dinner 
there  was  a  thick  snow-storm,  the  hill-tops  being  whit- 
ened with  snow  for  several  hours,  which,  however,  disap- 
peared by  the  evening.  The  water  in  the  harbor  was 
intensely  cold,  and  the  Mertensia  and  Clione,  those 
beautiful  creatures  of  the  icy  seas,  abounded. 

The  forenoon  was   spent  in  examining  the  trap  rocks 


\  ■  i 


i  I'; 


iill 


p 


4 

I  ■ 


I    .  ^ 


126 


A   SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


I     f. 


on  the  harbor  side  of  Henley  Island,  and  in  shore-col- 
lecting. The  rock-weeds  or  fuci  do  not  grow  luxuriantly 
on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  but  are  stunted  and  dwarfed, 
like  their  more  highly-born  relatives  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom  ashore.  Below  tide-mark,  however,  though 
the  tide  on  the  Labrador  coast  rises  and  falls  only  two 
or  three  feet,  the  Devil's  Apron  or  Laminaria  is  seen, 
but  not  so  common  and  laro;^e  as  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 
Life  between  tide-marks  is  scanty  compared  with  the 
New  England  coast.  We  never  detected  the  common 
whelk  that  gives  the  purple  dye  {Ptirpiira  lapilhis)  ; 
but  the  two  L  .lorinas  {L.  rudis,  less  commonly  L.  lit- 
toraiis)  were  common  ;  these  are  circumpolar  forms, 
abounding  ai  /^e  \,.a2r's  edjje  at  Greenland. 

In  this  region  scarcely  a  sea-bird  was  to  be  seen,  and 
rarely  even  a  gull  ;  but  on  one  occasion  three  ducks, 
while  a  lonely  raven  flew  about  the  cliff.  Insect  life 
M^as  scanty,  and  with  the  animals  and  plants  showed 
in  its  appearance  a  strange  intermixture  of  what  at 
home  would  have  been  characteristic  of  early  April  and 
late  May.  Frogs  are  seen  here,  we  were  told  :  in  the 
garden  the  turnips  were  just  up. 

Thirty  years  ago  there  was  but  a  single  house  at 
Henley  Harbor,  and  none  at  Red  Bay,  where  now  there 
are  thirty.  The  fish  ^and  birds  here,  meanwhile,  have 
vastly  decreased  in  [numbers.  The  fish  are  principally 
cod,  salmon,  and  herring.  Old  Captain  French,  our 
pilot,  never  saw  a  hake  on  the  Labrador  coast,  and  only 
two  haddock,  though  both  kinds  are  abundant  and 
troublesome  to  cod  fishermen  at  Bay  Chaleur,  on  the 
New  Brunswick  shore. 
(I*  Detained  another  day  by  head-winds  and  rain  in^  the 


DK  EDGING. 


127 


early  part  of  the  day,  the  wind  in  the  evening  hauled 
around  to  the  S.  VV.,  "giving  us  a  fine  evening  sky.  I 
dredged  in  the  morning  in  the  rain  over  the  side  of  the 
vessel  in  four  fathoms,  the  bottom  rich  in  the  red  sea- 
weed {Ptilota),  the  Desmarestia,  and  the  sea-colander 
{Agarum  turneri^,  and  besides  a  portly  queer-spined 
amphipod  (^Amp/u'tkonotus  cataphractiis),  which  carried 
its  brood  of  young,  also  bristling  with  spines,  a  fine  large 
Crangmt  boreas  with  other  bright  red  shrimps  came  up. 


NEBALIA  BiPES.     (Enlarged  six  times.) 

In'the  afternoon  we  sailed  out  two  or  three  miles  to  the 
mouth  of  the  harbor,  and  dredged  in  from  ten  to  twenty 
fathoms  on  a  hard,  pebbly  bottom,  evidently  the  contin- 
uation of  the  beach,  and  showing  that  the  land  was  for- 
merly at  least  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  feet 
higher  than  at  present ;  besides  Lyons ia  aretiosa,  Kenne- 
rliaglacialis,  and  othei  shells  and  crustaceans,  the  interest- 
ing A'^^^^/za;  bipes  was  taken:  it  was  also  found  in  as  shal- 
low water  as  four  fathoms.  This  form  is  less  than  half  an 
inch  in  length  and  is  found  throughout  the  Arctic  Ocean, 
is  common  on  the  coast  of  Norway,  and  its  family  is  now 


■I '! 


% 


^\  I 


128 


A    SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO    NORIHERN    LABRADOR. 


|i      i 


,{' 


-:f 


regarded  as  the  sole  existing  type  of  a  distinct  order 
{Phyllocaridd),  whose  gigantic  fossil  prototypes,  some  of 
them  nearly  two  feet  in  length,  occur  in  the  palaeozoic 
rocks  in  America  and  Europe. 

The  next  day  also  we  were  wind-bound,  but  the  gale 
was  from  the  southwest ;  the  wind  blew  very  fresh,  hav- 
ing a  good  sweep  over  the  Gulf,  the  breakers  ran  high, 
as  nearly  all  the  harbors  in  Southern  Labrador,  i.e.,  south 
and  west  of  Belle  Isle,  are  exposed  to  gales,  from  this 
direction.  We  put  out  our  kedgc  anchor,  and  fre- 
queiilly  had  to  haul  in  a  part  of  the  cable  to  keep  the 
vessel  off  the  rocks.  We  should  have  put  out  to  sea 
and  taken  advantage  of  the  gale  to  go  on  our  course  up 
the  coast,  but  were  afraid  of  running  upon  a  sunken 
rock  at  the  mouth  of  the  "tickle"  or  narrow  passage 
forming  our  b-irbor. 

A  part  of  the  day  was  spent  about  and  upon  the 
Devil's  Dining  Table.  This  is  amass  of  columnar  basalt, 
which  has  been  described  by  Lt.  Baddely  in  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  Literary  and  Historical  Society  of  Quebec 
for  1829.  The  height  of  the  rock  above  the  sea  is  225 
feet,  to  the  base  of  the  pillars  of  basalt  180  feet ;  the 
height  of  the  columns  themselves  being  25  feet.  The 
columns  are  quite  regularly  prismatic  and  of  nearly  the 
same  size  and  nature  as  those  of  the  Giant's  Causeway. 

Ascending  the  terrace,  carpeted  with  the  mountain 
trident,  I  climbed  up  the  cliff  over  the  basaltic  steps, 
by  the  only  means  of  ascent  situated  on  the  eastern  side, 
where  the  columns  had  been  worn  away  by  a  little 
stream,  on  top  of  the  flat  table,  which  was  125  paces 
broad  at  the  widest  part.  The  ends  of  the  prismatic 
columns    occasionally    protruded    through    the    dense 


M 


lERRACEI)    RP:ACIIES. 


129 


matted  covering  of  curlew-berry  or  Empetrum.  The 
air  was  cold,  chilly,  reeking  with  the  sea-drift,  and  the 
gale  buffeted  my  face  as  if  a  demon  were  trying  to  throw 
me  over  the  cliff,  down  to  the  sea-margin  of  former  days. 

From  the  summit  of  the  table  the  view  was  an  inter- 
esting one,  though  the  atmosphere  was  very  hazy.  Belle 
Isle  was  shut  out  of  sight  by  a  thin  bank  of  fog  or  thick- 
ened vapor  which  lay  on  the  sea  to  the  eastward.  A  few 
miles  up  the  shore  was  another  cliff  of  basaltic  columns, 
the  bases  of  the  pillars  wrapped  in  snow.  There  are  in 
this  bay  eleven  sea-terraces  which  mark  the  former  levels 
of  the  sea,  eight  of  which  could  be  seen  from  the  top  of 
this  rock.  On  the  west  side  the  terraces  slope  towards 
the  north,  while  on  Castle  Island  they  slope  towards  the 
southwest.  The  most  distinct  example  of  these  terraced 
sea-beaches  lay  at  our  feet,  forming  the  western  shore  ot 
Henley  Island  (on  which  the  Devil's  Dining  Table  is 
situated).  This  magnificent  beach  rises  180  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  and  when  the  sea  covered  it  the  waves 
washed  the  base  of  the  basaltic  pillars,  as  indicated  by 
the  debris  of  broken  columns  forming  the  talus  at  the 
foot  of  the  cliff  on  which  I  stood.  This  beach  is  com- 
posed of  three  terraces,  and  the  two  lower  ones  widen 
out  into  delta-like  expansions  on  the  northwest  end  of 
the  island,  which  are  free  from  the  usual  covering  of  moss 
and  curlew-berry,  and  are  so  distinctly  marked  with 
windrows  of  pebbles  and  gravel  that  it  would  seem  as 
if  they  had  been  but  yesterday  thrown  up  by  the  waves. 

Greville's  Fort*,  as  we  may  name  it,  the  ruins  of  which 


*  According  to  a  writer  in   Harper's  Magazine  for  May,  1864,  who  describes 
this  fort  and  gives  a  plan  of  it,  the  fortifications  were,  supposed  to  have  been 


}, 


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130        A    summer's   CkUISK   TO    NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 

are  quite  distinct,  was  built  on  a  broad  terrace  not  far 
above  the  sea.  On  the  mainland,  north  a  little  east,  are 
three  beaches  with  two  terraces,  which  were  beautifully 
marked,  and  corresponded  with  the  two  lower  terraces 
at  our  feet,  though  covered  with  the  rich  deep  green 
of  the  Empetrum  leaves.  Pitt's  Arm  and  Chateau  Bay 
are  also  terraced,  the  beaches  themselves  of  unequal  size 
and  height,  but  the  terraces,  as  we  should  expect,  are  of 
even  height  throughout,  as  they  mark  the  former  level 
of  the  sea.  One  of  the  beaches  on  Chateau  Bay  was 
remarkably  steep,  composed  of  large,  sea-worn  bowlders, 
and  overhanging  like  a  precipice  the  winter  houses  below. 
Indeed,  all  along  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  from  the  Meca- 
tinas  to  this  point,  wherever  there  is  sand,  gravel,  or 
bowlders,  the  sea  has,  when  at  higher  levels,  rearranged 
and  sorted  them  into  terraced  beaches  or  sea-margins. 
The  future  geologist  who  visits  this  coast  will  have  an 
interesting  task  in  measuring  the  heights  of  these  ter- 
races and  comparing  them  with  those  of  Northern  Lab- 
rador, of  Arctic  America,  of  Greenland,  and  northern 
Europe.  These  beaches  are  also  seen  in  inland  river- 
courses,  and  by  every  pond  and  lake  ;  they  are  not,  as 
along  the  coast  of  Maine  and  Massachusetts,  concealed 
by  vegetation,  bushes  or  forest  growths  ;  but  here,  owing 
to  the  absence  of  bushes  and  trees,  they  were  as  distinct 
as  if  the  Labrador  peninsula  had  been  upheaved  but  a 
year  ago.  Darwin  has  studied  the  formation  of  the  ter- 
races along  the  coast  of  South  America,  where  the  ele- 
vating forces  were  undoubtedly  volcanic,  but  the  nature 
of  the  causes  which  in  the  northern  hemisphere  have  re- 
constructed by  the  French  Canadian^,  by  whom  it  was  abandoned  in  1753  ; 
another  author  states  that  it  was  built  by  the  Acadians. 


ii 


TKRKACKI)    HE  AC  MPS. 


131 


suited  in  the  secular  elevations  and  depressions  of  the 
land,  such  as  took  place  duiinjj^  and  after  the  glacial  pe- 
riod, is  purely  conjectural,  and  belongs  to  the  domain  of 
theoretical  geology.  To  study  the  causes  we  must  first 
learn  the  facts,  hence  the  careful  examination  of  the  os- 
cillations of  the  eastern  coast  of  America  from  Aspin- 
wall  to  high  polar  latitudes  is  of  the  first  importance. 
The  measurement  and  comparison  of  the  ancient  sea- 
beaches  on  a  coast  like  that  of  Labrador  and  Arctic 
America,  where  they  arc  so  easily  perceived,  will  well 
repay  the  labor  and  time  involved. 

Robert  Chambers's  interesting  work  on  the  ancient 
sea-margins  of  Norway  and  Sweden  gives  valuable  data 
for  comparison  with  those  of  the  opposite  coast  of  Lab- 
rador, and  from  the  rough  observations  which  have  been 
made  it  would  seem  that  the  oscillations  were  about  the 
same,  both  in  height  above  the  sea,  and  in  time,  on  each 
side  of  the  North  Atlantic.  I  have  also  seen  well- 
marked  terraces  in  Puget  Sound  which  are  beautifully 
marked,  and  these  should  be  carefully  measured  and 
compared  in  height  with  those  in  the  arctic  region  and 
Labrador.  It  was  with  no  little  interest  that  we  ob- 
served the  old  beaches  on  the  Labrador  coast,  and  we 
shall  note  their  occurrence  in  the  following  pages  wher- 
ever seen. 

We  remained  on  the  top  of  the  Devil's  D'a.ng  Table 
until  the  sun  had  set  and  the  darkness  began  to  creep 
over  the  scene  below.  Whether  his  Satanic  Majesty 
was  concerned  in  the  transformation  which  then  came 
over  the  scene  we  will  not  undertake  to  say,  but  as  the 
sun  went  down  the  rocks  and  hills  beneath  seemed  to 
diminish    in    height ;  an    undefined,  subtle,  neutral    tint 


It 


I 


li: 


iiif 


'f " 


132 


A   SUMMKKS    CKUISK   TO    NOR'IHEUN    lAURADOR. 


spread  over  the  landseape  ;  a  brownish  haze  due  to  the 
vapor  in  the  air  came  in  from  the  sea  and  settled  over  the 
hills  far  and  near,  and  as  the  t\vili<»ht  came  on  the  hills 
were  still  more  dwarfed  in  size,  when  the  chill  southwest 
wind  from  the  Gulf,  the  coldest  that  blows  over  this  '»v. 
posed  point,  sent  us  back  to  our  vessel,  where  the  t 
mometer  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  was  44°  F. 

The  fishins^-hamlet  of  Menley  Plarbor  consists  of  a 
few  dwelling-houses,  some  of  them  inhabited  during  the 
winter,  with  fish-houses  and  light  wharves  here  called 
"  stages."  The  winter  houses  are  built  of  thick  boards, 
with  fiat  tarred  roofs,  the  sides  of  the  houses  being  well 
battened.  The  domestic  animal  here  is  the  dog,  New- 
foundlanders— seven  of  them  at  one  house — brougit  up 
by  the  hshermen  for  the  summer  :  there  were  no  Fskimo 
dogs  or  Eskimos  at  this  point,  though  in  the  last  jent  ' 
they  here  congregated  by  hundreds.  The  f.h-hc 
were  rude  structures  of  one  low  shed,  roof'-J  with  turf 
and  built  on  piles,  reminding  us  somew^  ..t  of  pictures 
of  the  ancient  pile-dwellings  of  prehistoric  Switzerland. 

The  fisherman's  sail-boat  is  a  ponderous,  cit^-sy  affair 
called  a  "jack."  It  is  twenty-five  or  thirty  feei  '-^ng, 
with  not  much  breadth  of  beam,  rudely  built,  with  shotc 
masts,  and  small  sails  stained  red  or  black,  or  with  both 
colors  ;  the  oars  are  of  spruce,  and  very  large  and  heavy, 
and  the  stern  of  the  boat  is  provided  with  two  stakes, 
such  as  whalemen  use  for  sculling. 

I  interviewed  a  Mr.  Stone,  one  of  the  settlers,  regard- 
ing the  fisheries  and  hunting  at  this  point,  and  he  gave 
me  the  following  facts :  At  the  height  of  the  herring 
fishery  in  August — and  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that 
this  fish  is  only  a  summer  visitant,  not  spawning  on  the 


V- 


THE    KISIIKRIKS. 


•33 


Labrador  coast,  hut  passiiiij  up,  as  Hind  in  his  work  on 
the  Labrador  peninsula  states,  as  far  as  Hudson's  Strait 
— Stone  has  cau<j^ht  200  barrels  in  a  season,  i  le  has  to 
pay  twelve  barrels  for  a  hogshead  of  salt,  the  j)rice  of 
which  is  now  (1864)  very  high.  He  secures  800  quin- 
tals of  fish  at  iS>s.  a  quintal,  which  amounts  to  ^720  for 
a  successful  season's  work.  He  can  cure  the  lish  on  this 
coast  during  the  short  summer,  and  is  now  building  a 
shed  for  this  purpose. 

Of  salmon  180  quintals  are  taken  in  a  good  season  ;  they 
are  pickled  and  sell  at  the  rate  of  $5.00  a  quintal  (112 
lbs.),  so  that  he  would  realize  about  $900  from  this  fish- 
ery ;  but  considering  that  he  had  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, it  is  not  probable  that  on  the  average  he  more 
than  comfortably  supports  his  fai-iily,  and  in  many  sum- 
mers the  fisheries  on  this  desolate  coast  are  a  failure. 
And  to  show  what  little  chance  there  is  to  retrieve  his 
fortunes  by  the  products  of  the  winter's  hunting,  he  told 
me  that  last  winter  nothing  was  shot  about  Chateau  Bay 
from  Christmas  until  the  first  of  February.  During  the 
entire  winter  but  a  single  partridge  was  shot,  while  at 
the  same  time  they  were  very  abundant  at  Blanc  Sablon, 
showing  that  possibly  these  birds  are  somewhat  migra- 
tory, going  in  flocks  from  one  point  to  another  in  search 
of  food.  There*  are  now  neither  beaver  nor  otter,  nor 
silver  nor  black  foxes  to  be  had  ;  only  two  or  three 
wolves  were  shot,  and  two  deer.  When  I  asked  him 
what  the  people  would  do  if  the  hunting  and  fishing  con- 
tinued to  fall  off,  he  replied  hopefully,  and  in  his  fisher- 
man's dialect,  "Oh,  we'll  have  a  spurt  by  and  by."  He 
added  that  the  S.W.  wind  was  in  summer  "the  coldest 
wind  that  blows."     Winter  comes  on  in  November ;  by 


i!  I 


§ 


m 


f' 


1  '       1 

I! 

*  1 

■■  ■■ 

134 


/\    SUMMERS   CRUISE    lO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


i  f 


H 


I    !( 


VI  '! 


the  loth  to  the  20th  of  this  month  the  lakes  are  all 
frozen  over,  and  by  the  20th  the  harbor  is  frozen  far  out 
into  the  Strait,  while  in  winter  they  can  go  out  in 
sledges  on  the  ice  to  Belle  Isle. 

The  people  here  in  general  were  well-mannered,  though 
rough  and  out-spoken,  asking  freely  of  our  stores,  and 
commenting  as  freely  on  what  they  considered  poor 
returns  in  trade. 

To  return  to  the  Devil's  Dining  Table,  whose  geology 
is  interesting :  it  is  a  high  ovate  mass  with  vertical  sides 
and  a  flat  top,  which  slightly  inclines  towards  the  south- 
west, and  consists  of  two  layers,  showing  that  the  rock 
is  the  remains  of  two  separate  eruptions,  the  lower  con- 
sisting of  regular  prismatic  five-sided  columns,  each 
about  two  feet  in  diameter,  fluted  on  the  sides  and  curi- 
ously worn  by  transverse  impressed  lines.  The  basaltic 
mass  rests  upon  the  upturned  edges  of  strata  of  Lauren- 
".an  gneiss  which  have  been  penetrated  by  dikes  of  sye- 
ite.     North  of  the  basaltic  cap,  the  underlying  rocks 


castle  island  from  the  west  ;  a,  red  syenite  ;  f>,  gneiss  ;  f,  basalt  (the 
devil's  dining-table)  ;  </,  raised  beach. 

are  least  disturbed,  being  reddish  gneiss-like  or  foliated 
syenite,  crumbling  and  quite  fissile,  dipping  at  an  angle 
of  50°  south,  25°  east ;  just  beyond,  this  reddish  rock 
runs  into  the  usual  dark  Laurentian  gneiss  of  the  region. 
Upon  submitting  a  specimen  of  the  basalt  to  Mr.  J.  S. 
Diller,  lithologist  of  the  U.  S.  Geological  Survey,  he  tells 
me  that  it  is  a  doleritic  basalt. 

At  the  southeast  end  of  the  island,  along  the  shore 


■ 

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i 


CASTLE   ISLAND. 


'35 


looking  out  towards  Belle  Isle,  the  flesh-colored  syenitic 
rocks  present  a  rough  and  broken  front  to  the  ceaseless 
swell  of  the  Atlantic,  rising  from  seventy-five  to  a  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  waves,  the  beetling  crags  broken  and 
pierced  by  deep  ocean  caves ;  with  jutting  headlands  and 
little  pebbly  beaches  nestling  between  them — all  the 
characteristic  scenic  features  of  this  syenite,  whether  at 
Nahant,  or  Mt,  Desert,  or  on  the  Labrador  coast. 

The  southern  end  of  Castle  Island  repeats  the  geology 
and  scenery  of  Henley  Island;  but  a  little  farther  down, 
away  from  the  sea-cliffs,  the  syenite  and  gneiss  meet,  and 
seemed  splashed  together,  like  two  masses  of  paste  or 
dough  which  has  been  stirred  up  and  baked.  In  places, 
both  rocks  were  interstratified,  dipping  north  and  south 
in  much  disturbed  strata,  but  with  a  general  inclination 
towards  the  north. 

The  first  of  July  saw  us  released  from  oui  prison ;  the 
day  was  clear  and  delightful,  and  a  light  southwesterly 
breeze  bore  us  along  a  remarkably  bold  and  picturesque 
coast.  About  two  miles  from  our  harbor  is  another  trap 
overflow  capping  and,  at  the  southwest  end,  concealing 
from  view  the  .syenitic  base ;  at  the  northern  end  the 
basalt  is  columnar. 

We  soon  came  up  to  our  first  iceberg,  a  magnificent 
pyramid  of  ice  perhaps  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high, 
white  as  Carrara  marble,  smooth,  as  if  fresh  snow  had 
fallen  on  it  during  the  past  night,  lending  it  a  virgin 
whiteness,  here  and  there  brought  more  clearly  into  re- 
lief by  the  subtle  azure  blue  reflected  from  the  sea. 
Across  its  base  ran  several  suggestive  cracks,  and  though 
we  sailed  within  two  hundred  yards  of  it,  it  was  rather 
risky,  and  we  remembered  Scoresby's  stories  of  the  dis- 


i      f-ihi 


■y 


r  ! 


It 


136         A    SUMMER'S   CUUISK   TO    NORTHKRN    LABRADOR. 


!l':§ 


H 


ll! 


i ,  -f 


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-<yl 


II: 

'il 


M 


ft 


asters  attending  the  overturning  and  breaking  of  floating 
bergs.  Captain  Handy,  whose  life-long  experience  as  a 
whaler  in  arctic  regions  made  him  a  good  judge,  re- 
marks as  we  are  passing  that  a  berg  will  not  usually  injure 
a  vessel  unless  a  piece  of  ice  falls  upon  it,  but  that  the 
waves  will  swamp  a  boat.  At  Resolution  Island  he 
rowed  past  an  immense  berg,  so  that  it  could  almost  be 
touched  from  the  boat,  saying  to  himself,  "  It  won't  last 
three  weeks ;"  he  had  gone  scarcely  three  ship's  lengths, 
when,  with  a  report  like  the  discharge  of  a  park  of  artil- 
lery, it  burst  into  a  thousand  pieces,  many  still  forming 
large  bergs;  the  boat  was  put  head-to,  and  nearly  filled 
with  water,  but  there  was  no  further  danger. 

Off  Cape  Charles  the  coast  grows  more  broken  and 
hummocky,  more  so  than  west  of  Chateau  Bay.  This  is 
partly  owing  to  the  fact  that  we  look  directly  upintotlie 
fjords  and  bays,  and  that  the  headlands  run  out  towards 
us.     We  pass  Battle  Island,  a  comparatively  low  island, 


A,    CAPE     CHARLES,   654    FT.       B,    HARE    ISLAND  ;     ENTRANCE    TO    CAPE    CHARLES 

HARBOR.       C,   CHARLES    BAY. 

with  the  "  ice-loom  "  or  mirage  resting  over  it.  We  were 
glad  to  pass  Battle  Island  Harbor,  which  has  a  bad  repu- 
tation, or,  to  use  an  Anglicism,  is  a  "nasty"  place.  The 
entrance  is  very  sinuous,  the  turns  short,  and  the  vessel 
must  answer  her  rudder  quickly  when  going  in.  Our 
fishermen  enter  it  late  in  the  season,  as  "  it  is  a  place 
that  holds  fish  late."  Perhaps  half  of  the  harbors  here 
are  unknown,  and  the  fishermen  seldom  have  occasion 
to  enter  the  innermost  ones. 


Tllfc:    IC1£-PACK   AND    ICE-BLINK. 


137 


The  ice-pack  which  we  were  soon  to  encounter  lay 
north  and  east  of  us,  with  the  "  ice-blink  "  over  it.  We 
pass  Outer  Battle  Island,  and  the  "Two  Sisters,"  hare, 
low  islands  of  nearly  white  gneiss  rock.  We  now  sail 
into  the  ice-pack,  and  are  gradually  surrounded  by  floes, 

A 


OUTER   BATTLE  ISLAND  "SEEN   FROM   THE   SOUTHWEST;  A,    CARIBOU   ISLAND. 

though  they  are  not  near  enough  to  impede  our  progress. 
The  shore  of  Caribou  Island — for  there  are  two  of  this 
name  on  the  coast — is  of  a  singular  pale  gray  shade  from 
top  to  bottom.  The  people  ashore',  struck  by  our  model 
and  spars,  so  unlike  the  other  craft  on  this  coast,  set  the 
British  flag  to  ascertain  our  nationality. 


CARIBOU   ISLAND,    BEARING  TWO    MILKS   WEST. 

We  pass  St.  Lewis  Bay,  a  large  broad  indentation, 
with  its  north  shore  evidently  syenitic,  as  the  sea-wall  is 
high,  and  the  rocks  rough  and  fissured,  and  more  broken 
than  lower  down ;  the  headlands  of  syenite  probably  ex- 
tend out  from  the  gneiss  mainland. 

The  ice-floes  become  larger  and  more  hummocky  than 
any  we  have  seen  before.     A  humpback  whale  now  pre- 


CARIBOU  ISLAND,   BEARING  WEST. 


sents  a  broadside  view  of  himself,  with  his  angular  hump, 
small  fin,  and  as  he  "sounds,"  reveals  the  pale  underside 
of  his  tail  and  flukes. 


i 


■-  % 


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m 


138        A   summer's   cruise   to   northern   LABRADOR. 

At  Spear  Point  the  outline  of  the  coast  is  very  rough  ; 
at  the  erttrance  to  Spear  Harbor,  which  is  a  shallow  bight, 
there  is  a  high,  sugar-loaf  island  ;  two  black-sailed  "  jacks  " 
are  entering  it.  Cape  St.  Francis  is  a  bold,  syenitic  head- 
land. Over  Square  Island,  which  now  comes  in  sight, 
being  fifteen  miles  ahead,  there  is  a  fine  mirage,  with 
castle-like,  shadowy  forms  resting  on  the  rock.  We  are 
now  sailing  between  the  ice-pack  and  the  shore,  one 
nearly  as  solid  in  appearance  as  the  other.  The  wind  is 
still  off  shore,  but  should  it  change  to  the  eastward  the 
ice  would  come  in  upon  us  and  choke  up  the  bays  and 
harbors.  Behind  us  is  a  pale  bluish  haze  which  passes 
into  a  well-marked  mirage,  and  as  we  sail  on  it  raises  the 
higher  points  of  the  land  beneath  and  expands  above 
with  weird,  strange  effects.  Beyond  us  the  mirage  mag- 
nifies the  larger  floes  into  huge  bergs. 


NORTH    SIDE   OF   FISHING   SHIP   HARBOR. 


i  .1 


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i  ^ 


In  St.  Francis  Harbor  is  a  "  room  "  and  a  "  look-out  " 
house  ;  a  small  bay  beyond  appears  to  be  filled  with  ice. 
The  coast  at  Fishing  Ship  Harbor  is  unusually  rough 
and  broken,  like  the  waves  of  a  chop-sea  ;  and  there  ap- 
peared to  be  two  terraces  at  this  point,  the  upper  one 
very  high,  but  whether  of  gravel  or  of  rock  was  difficult 
to  distinguish.  The  wind  now  become  very  changeable 
and  baffling,  veering  from  one  point  to  another  ;  and  our 
progress  was  compared  by  the  Captain  to  sailing  up 
the  Potomac.     Passing  by  perpendicular  sea-cliffs,  and  a 


-; 


OCCASIONAL   HARBOR. 


bold  headland  on  which  are  dead  spruce  trees,  the  rock 
on  the  north  side  of  Occasional  Harbor  changes  its  char- 


OCCASIONAL  HARBOR. 


acter,  becoming  a  gray,  Labradoritic  syenite,  like  what 
we  afterwards  found  on  Square  Island. 


m?- 


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'^|l 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A    summer's   cruise    to    northern    LABRADOR. 

III.    FROM  CAPE   ST,    MICHAEL  TO   HOPEDALE. 

Cape  St.  Michael  rises  from  the  sea  in  the  boldest, 
most  vertical  cliffs  we  had  yet  seen  ;  they  are  perhaps 
from  two  to  three  hundred  feet  high  and  pierced  by 
five  caves,  one  very  large  and  deep,  and  another  oven- 
like. In  one  of  the  bights  indenting  this  promontory 
there  are  four  irregular  but  well-marked  rock-terraces  in 
the  gneiss  cliffs.  On  a  following  headland  the  syenite 
is  seen  to  be  interstratified  with  much-distorted  gneiss 
strata,  and  penetrated  by  a  deep  fissure  with  remarkably 
fresh  and  angular  sides.  At  the  head  of  the  bight  is 
quite  a  forest  of  spruce.  We  are  now  off  St.  Michael's 
Bay,  at  the  mouth  of  which  is  Square  Island,  with  Sugar 
Loaf  Island  just  beyond,  and  now  the  contours  of  the 
land-surface  again  begin  to  be  rough  and  broken. 

We  run  in  here  to  make  a  harbor,  and  as  we  enter  it 
a  pleasant  breeze  blows  off  shore ;  it  is  refreshing  in  its 
warmth  and  in  the  balsamic  flavor  of  the  spruce  and 
firs  of  the  interior.  We  are  now  in  a  completely  land- 
locked little  box  of  a  harbor  in  Square  Island,  the  three 
"tickles"  or  narrow  passages  leading  into  it  not  in  sight 
from  where  we  were  to  lie  moored. 

While  our  vessel,  which  had  come  in  by  the  wrong 
tickle,  was,  by  a  process  of  towing,  and  at  times  by 
taking  advantage  of  slight  puffs  of  mind,  slowly  work- 

I40 


SQUARE   ISLAND    HAKHOR. 


141 


ing  into  her  deep  little  harbor,  where  she  anehored  in 
thirteen  fathoms,  some  of  us  landed,  and  what  a  scene 
lay  before  us !  On  every  square  rod  of  flat  rock  on  the 
steep  sides  of  the  harbor  was  a  Newfoundlander's  "  tilt" 
or  summer  house.  The  sides  made  of  logs  or  })lank,  the 
roof  of  turf,  a  square  chimney  of  wood  and  mud.  the 
four  corner-posts  projecting  above.  They  were  scattered 
about  on  the  rocks  like  bee-hives,  under  the  shelter  of 
the  cliffs  on  a  low  promontory,  while  the  landing-places 
or  "  stages"  were  supported  on  long  poles. 

In  the  miniature  garden-lots  some  of  the  children 
were  turning  the  sod  with  rude  spades,  others  were 
bringing  soil  from  the  naked  rocks  about  into  protected 
places  where  they  were  to  attempt  the  cultivation  of  a 
few  turnips  and  cabbages.  On  the  shores  of  the  harbor 
was  a  narrow  margin  of  grass  enriched  by  the  drinpings 
of  years  from  the  fish-flakes  which,  supported  on  stakes 
like  those  on  the  Maine  coast,  ran  down  in  parallel  rows 
to  near  the  water's  edge,  where  were  ground-flakes,  or 
floors  of  poles  lying  on  the  ground.  The  sides  of  the  tilt 
were  here  and  there  ornamented  with  a  sealskin  tacked 
against  the  wall.  The  houses  of  the  "  long-shore-men," 
or  those  of  the  permanent  residents,  were  clapboarded 
and  a  little  better  looking  than  the  tilts.  It  was  warm 
and  truly  delightful  ashore,  the  wind  coming  from  over 
the  hills  and  mosses  ;  the  thermometer  was  70°  F.,  and 
we  learned  that  for  two  days  it  had  been  unusually 
warm  and  pleasant. 

The  insects  formed  an  assemblage  which  in  northern 
New  England  would  be  regarded  as  a  mixture  of  April 
and  early  June  forms,  Corethra  and  Tanapus,  two  gnats, 
which  in  New  England  are  April  forms,  mingled  with 


% 


m?=^aM 


142        A    summer's  cruise  to    northern   LABRADOR. 


I    ■ 


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1 

saw-flies  which  appear  with  us  early  in  June.  The  leaf- 
rolling  moths  had  not  yet  appeared  ;  a  few  bumble-bees 
were  humming  their  familiar  tune,  but,  as  we  thought,  in 
a  subdued  minor  key. 

Just  before  sunset  we  climbed  a  steep  round  hill,  rising 
perhaps  500  t^  800  feet  above  the  harbor,  and  what  a 
strange,  peculiar  scene  was  spread  out  before  us !  Far 
inland  to  the  westward  there  was  a  fire  in  the  woods, 
and  the  smoke  filled  the  air  towards  the  interior  and  was 
carried  far  seaward  ;  the  sunlight  passing  through  the 
smoke  gave  a  strange  appearance  to  the  glowing  western 
sky,  the  transformed  light  falling  bronzed  and  red  upon 
the  broad  bay  dotted  with  "  skiers,"  or  small  low  islets ; 
and  tinging  the  distant  hills,  one  of  which,  a  mountain 
mass  of  gneiss,  seemed  to  be  over  a  thousand  feet  high. 

In  the  evening  it  grew  cool  and  damp  :  a  large  cake 
of  floe-ice  higher  than  the  rail  of  our  vessel  floated  down 
upon  us  and  stranded  on  the  shore.  All  through  the 
night  there  was  a  continual  sound  of  running  water 
dripping  in  streams  from  its  under  side,  the  gurgling  and 
trickling  keeping  one  awake. 

The  next  day  was  cloudy,  with  a  southeast  wind,  so 
that  we  could  not  venture  out  of  our  harbor.  I  went 
with  a  party  of  trout  fishers  from  our  vessel  to  a  chain 
of  lakes  containing,  besides  a  few  small  trout,  eels  and 
sticklebacks.  The  insects  were  more  abundant  in  the 
sheltered  valleys  than  along  the  shore.  In  the  shallow 
ponds  were  chrysalids  of  the  stone-flies  and  case-worms, 
the  latter  having  been  found  in  the  larval  condition  at 
the  Mecatinas.  There  were  also  pupal  dragon-flies, 
and  under  the  moss  and  green  herbs  on  the  side  of  a 


GEOLOGY   OF   SQUARE   ISLAND. 


»43 


little    rill,   earthworms,   groundbeetles,    cutworms,    and 
the  maggots  of  the  crane-fly. 

Here  mingled  with  an  Empetrum-like  plant  was  the 
Andromeda  poli/oh'a,\w\i\\  buinl)le-l)ees  probing  its  deep 
flowers  ;  sedges  were  in  flower,  one  like  our  Carcx penn- 
sylvanica  and  perhaps  representing  it  in  the  Labrador 
flora ;  the  leaves  of  the  hackmatack  or  larch  were  half 
an  inch  long,  but  the  birches  and  mountain-ash  were 
not  yet  fully  leaved  out ;  blue  and  white  violets  were 
sprinkled  among  the  low  sedges,  while  the  flowers  of 
the  cloud-berry  were  now  dropping  off".  The  Viburnum 
lantanoides  was  scarcely  full-leaved ;  the  bunch-berry 
{Cornus  Canadensis)  was  either  in  bud  or  else  with 
small  green  flowers.  The  gold-thread,  or  Coptis,  was  in 
full  flower ;  the  flre-weed  (^Epilobium  auQusii/olium) 
was  but  six  inches  high,  the  buds  not  yet  apparent. 

Robins  were  singing  in  the  old  familiar  way,  and  the 
white-crowned  sparrow  was  flitting  about  as  if  thor- 
oughly at  home  and  rather  enjoying  the  desolateness  of 
the  scenery. 

The  geology  of  Square  Island  harbor  is  varied  by  the 
presence  of  a  peculiar  dark  syenite  due  to  the  labrador- 
ite  which  replaces  the  flesh-colored  feldspar  of  the  syen- 
ite to  the  southward,  while  there  are  large  masses  of 
dark  green  actinolite  with  a  little  quartz,  and  some  iron 
pyrites.  This  peculiar  eruptive  rock  is  weathered  into 
high  rounded  conical  sugar-loaf  hills,  which  lends  a 
peculiar  feature  to  the  scenery  of  the  coast.  At  certain 
points  this  rock  passes  into  a  finely-grained  gneiss,  with 
the  scenic  features  of  that  rock,  but  yet  combined  with 
an  added  feature  due  to  its  granitoid  character ;  the 
rock  crumbles  rather  easily,  and   on  the  shores  of  the 


!li    ■ 


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nl 


pn; 

144 


A    SUMMKKS   CKUISK    TO    NORTIIKKN    LABKADOK. 


i'' 


harbor  and  lakes,  blocks  of  all  sizes,  angular  or  weather- 
worn, fall  clown,  (lisru{)te(l  by  the  frost.  No  boulders, 
i.e.  trav^elletl  rocks,  were  to  be  seen.  The  masses  of 
labradorite  are  translucent  and  opalescent,  but  still  not 
of  the  precious  variety,  of  which,  however,  I  afterward 
puicliased  fine  specimens  from  the  Moravian  missionaries 
at  llopedale.  No  drift  or  glacial  scratches  were  to  be 
seen  about  here,  and  none  had  yet  been  observed  on  the 
coast,  though  they  were  of  course  always  in  my  thoughts, 
and  r  was  disappointed  at  not  finding  any,  attributing 
their  absence  to  the  rapid  weathering  of  the  rocks  on 
this  coast. 

The  deep  broad  bay  at  whose  northern  entrance 
Square  Island  is  situated  must  have  been  fdled  with 
glacial  ice,  as  the  skiers  or  low  islets  of  gneiss  dotting  its 
surface  had  evidentlv  been  ground  down  and  moulded 
into  their  present  forms  by  land  ice. 

The  rock  terraces  observable  here  were  interesting ; 
they  were  ten  or  twenty  feet  high,  with  the  vegetation 
growing  at  the  foot  of  the  little  vertical  precipices.  On 
their  upper  third  the  hills  about  our  harbor  were  bare, 
where  in  similar  situations  in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  the 
rocks  would  be  covered  with  a  thick  and  matted  growth 
of  Empetrum  and  reindeer  moss.  The  steep  precipitous 
sides  of  the  hills  facing  the  harbor  plunge  naked  and 
dark  into  the  water,  and  from  their  summits  we  cnn  1'  ok 
directly  down  upon  the  decks  of  the  vessels  *■  ^vnor, 
overlooking  the  "  tilts"  and  "stages"  on  shore 

In  the  afternoon  the  vicissitudes  of  a  dredger  in  such 
a  harbor  as  this  were  well  illustrated.  I  put  my  dreuge 
down  at  the  depth  of  thirty  fathoms  at  the  mouth  of  a 
"  tickle,"  and  the   results  were  plenty  of  a  little  snail 


THK   SKAI.    FISHERY. 


'45 


(^Margarita  cinerea),  the  dead  shells  tenanted  by  little 
hermit-crabs;  the  two  varieties  of  Mya  trnncata,  two 
beautiful  ten-armed  starfishes  (^Solaster papposa),  beau- 
tifully roseate  in  the  centre,  as  well  as  at  the  middle  and 
lips  of  the  fincrcrs  ;  the  omnipresent  knotted  sand-star 
{ Ophioolypha  nodosa)  with  fine  gray  and  red  shrimps, 
and  mingled  with  the  deep-water  forms  were  two  littoral 
species,  the  common  edible  mussel  and  the  Littorina 
rtidis.  Another  hard  pull — and  dredging  in  thirty 
fathoms  by  hand,  in  these  days  of  donkey  engines  and 
steamers,  with  all  the  paraphernalia  of  the  modern 
dredge,  is  no  fun — over  a  rocky  bottom  and  not  a  thing 
in  the  dredge  was  a  disappointment,  while  the  third 
pull  off  a  steep  })recipice  brought  up  the  dredge  filled 
to  the  brim  with  a  soft  ooze,  containing  only  two  or 
three  worms  and  a  few  dead  shells. 

On  Sunday,  the  3d,  services  were  conducted  by  Rev. 
David  A.  Wasson,  one  of  our  party.  About  twenty  of 
the  fishermen  came  aboard,  and  after  the  meeting  we 
found  them  very  communicative,  the  sole  topic  of  con- 
versation, that  which  is  the  staple  talk  on  these  shores, 
being  the  fisheries,  both  of  the  cod  and  seal.  One  sealer 
of  120  tons  during  a  cruise  of  three  months  laid  in  a 
cargo  of  i4<S  tons  of  seal's  fat  obtained  from  4700  seals. 
Last  year  (1863)  twenty  to  thirty  sealing-vessels  were 
lost  in  Green  Bay,  and  six  hundred  men  were  obliged 
to  abandon  their  vessels  and  walk  home,  "with  nothing 
but  their  boots,"  on  the  ice  which  was  packed  in  towards 
the  shore.  A  few  remained  aboard.  March  was  an  open 
month,  while  April  was  cold  and  frosty;  "the  ice  was 
packed  in  25  or  30  feet,  making  it  bad  for  the  sealers." 

On  inquiring   of   an   old   Newfoundlander  why  they 


,   ! 


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146        A   summer's   CKUISE   to   northern   LABRADOR. 

had  been  driven  ofif  of  their  own  fishing-grounds  and 
obliged  to  spend  the  season  on  this  coast,  he  replied, 
"Oh,  it  was  the  French.  Our  fishermen  have  been  on 
this  coast  for  seventy  years.  It  was  after  the  treaty 
that  the  French  began  to  fish  from  Cape  St.  John 
around  to  Cape  Ray,  and  for  forty-six  years  we  have 
come  up  here  in  this  way.  By  this  treaty  the  French 
were  not  allowed  to  take  anything  away  from  the  shore, 
nor  to  cut  timber  above  a  certain  size,  and  were  not, 
and  still  are  not  allowed  to  reside  on  the  island  of  New- 
foundland. They  leave  from  fifty  to  seventy  men  to 
take  care  of  the  fishing  establishments  or  '  rooms, '  an 
officer  being  set  over  every  ten  men  to  keep  them  in 
subordination,  while  a  doctor  is  stationed  at  each  '  room. 
The  men  live  like  dogs,  cooking  out  of  doors ;  they  are 
allowed  the  first  catch  of  fish  for  themselves.  They 
cook  Sundays— after  early  morning  prayers — and  work 
the  rest  of  the  day."  It  is  needless  to  add  that  the  French 
are  looked  upon  as  intruders  by  the  English  settlers. 

The  Newfoundlanders  themselves,  at  least  the  poorer 
families,  are  obliged  to  fish  on  credit,  running  in  debt 
for  their  outfit,  which  is  worth  £igo,  including  salt. 
When  the  season  is  over  and  the  fish  is  sold,  they  may 
clear  ;^i5,  as  they  often  obtain  350  quintals  of  fish. 
The  "longshoremen,"  of  whom  there  are  here  seven 
families,  are  sadly  improvident,  often  giving  up  fishing 
towards  the  last  of  the  season  and  idling ;  hence  as  the 
result,  when  the  traders  have  failed  them,  they  are  re- 
duced, as  happened  last  winter,  to  actual  starvation. 
Owing  to  the  lack  of  fresh  meat  and  vegetables  they  are 
afflicted  with  the  scurvy.  One  man  thus  sulTering 
showed  me   one  of  his   legs,  which  was  swollen  nearly 


^•..»^i.«:.li'J 


THE   WALRUS. 


M7 


'i    I 


twice  the  size  of  the  well  one,  and  covered  with  purple 
spots.  I  asked  them  how  they  spent  their  time  in  the 
winter,  and  they  said  :  "  Oh,  we  get  a  stick  of  firewood  " 
— and  it  is  not  much  more.  But  a  single  deer  was  shot 
here  last  winter  by  these  thriftless  people,  while  the  Es- 
kimo, who  cpme  down  from  "the  nor'ard"  in  their  dog- 
sledges,  shot  fifteen. 

The  walrus  at  times  appears  as  far  south  as  this  harbor, 
one  having  been  shot  about  fifteen  years  ago.  It  evi- 
-■^ntly  made  an  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  "  long- 
si. jremen,"  as  the  circumstances  of  its  appearance  were 
treasured  up  for  years  after.  It  lifted  its  head  above  the 
water  near  a  boat  with  a  single  man  in  it,  who  was  nearly 
frightened  out  of  his  wits,  as  he  "  thought  it  was  the 
devil."  His  web-footed  majesty  sank  beneath  the  waves 
to  reappear  to  the  same  man  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
away,  who  was  not  too  much  terrified  to  throw  as  a 
peace-offering  to  the  monster  a  herring,  which  it  swal- 
lowed and  then  disappeared. 

By  daylight  this  morning  the  ice  began  to  come  into 
our  snug  little  harbor,  brought  in  by  an  east  wind ;  it 
drifted  in  during  the  day,  completely  sui^rounding  the  few 
vessels  at  anchor ;  though  it  was  a  warm,  pleasant  day, 
and  the  thermometer  was  70°  at  noon,  by  night  it  grew 
cold,  reaching  39°.  The  ice  often  comes  in  through  the 
narrow  "tickles,"  and  becoming  imprisoned,  remains 
until  a  strong  west  wind  blows  it  out.  In  this  way  large 
icebergs  frequently  come  in,  as  the  tickles  are  about  thirty 
fathoms  deep,  there  being  no  friendly  bars  at  the  en- 
trance to  detain  these  unwelcome  visitors.  On  one  oc- 
casion, a  Saturday  night,  as  a  man  told  me,  an  iceberg  "  as 
tall  as  a  steeple"  floated  in  as  if  to  make  a  safe  harbor, 


f/LA 


148        A   summer's  cruise  to   northern   LABRADOR. 


■  '); 


^ii\''4 


I    I 


and  became  anchored  within  fifty  yards  of  his  "  stage. "^ 
Just  after  he  and  his  family  had  gone  to  bed,  the  berg 
broke  to  pieces — "  foundered  " — and  nearly  swamped  his 
boat,  but  did  not  carry  away  his  stage,  which  was  built 
upon  a  rock,  though  the  waves  washed  a  row  of  punch- 
eons off  from  a  neighbor's  stage  and  entered  the  house, 
driving  out  the  occupants. 

Of  the  personal  appearance  and  habits  of  the  majority 
of  the  summer  residents  there  is  not  much  to  be  said. 
Living  in  dirty,  forlorn  tilts,  smoked  and  begrimed  with 
dirt,  the  occupants  in  some  cases  thoroughly  harmonize 
with  their  surroundings:  their  features  and  hands  are 
smoked  as  dark  as  the  herring  they  eat,  and  their  rough 
life  is  more  or  less  demoralizing;  but  certainly  law  and 
order  are  well  maintained  on  the  coast,  and  no  cases  of 
immorality  came  to  our  ears. 

The  Fourth  of  July  saw  us  still  ice-bound.  We  could 
easily  walk  ashore  over  the  floe-ice ;  some  of  the  floes 
were  higher  than  our  vessel's  rail,  it  being  next  to  impos- 
sible to  force  our  boat  through  the  too  narrow  "leads' 
between  the  cakes.  Our  surroundings  were  thoroughly 
arctic;  the  harbof  choked  with  ice-cakes,  while  the  high, 
dreary  cliffs,  rising  on  every  side,  made  the  outlook  so 
polar  and  frigid  that  only  a  live  white  bear  in  the  fore- 
ground was  needed  to  enhance  the  resemblance. 

This  glorious  day  was  celebrated  by  the  imprisoned 
party  as  best  they  could.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing a  salute  was  fired  from  twenty-four  gun-barrels,  the 
largest  number  we  could  muster.  The  exercises  of  the 
forenoon  consisted  of  a  prayer  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wasson,  and 
an  oration  by  a  member  of  the  legal  profession,  Mr.  Ham, 
followed  by  the  John  Brown  song.      For  our  dinner  we 


1} 


CELEBRATION   OF  THE    FOURTH    OF  JULY. 


149 


had  a  fresh  salmon  and  canned  peas,  excellent  after- 
courses,  washed  down  with  champagne  brought  out 
with  especial  reference  to  the  occasion  by  Mr.  Phoenix. 
The  evening  was  thick  and  foggy,  and  at  sunset  the 
American  flag  was  again  saluted  and  cheered,  and  the 
ship's  bell  rung,  due  response  being  made  by  the  people 
ashore  and  by  the  crews  of  the  other  vessels,  wliili-  the 
captain  of  one  of  the  Newfoundland  vessels  politely 
sent  up  rockets,  Roman  candles,  and  burned  Drum- 
mond  lights.  The  effect  of  the  fire-works  in  the  fog  and 
mist,  the  glare  reflected  from  the  ice  into  the  sky  and 
upon  the  surrounding  cliffs,  the  cheers  and  shouts,  which 
were  prolonged  to  after  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  all  made 
a  scene,  we  venture  to  say,  never  before  witnessed  by 
Labradorians. 

Before  dinner  a  party  was  equipped  and  armed  to  the 
teeth  to  go  on  land  and  look  up  a  black  bear  which  was 
seen  ashore  yesterdav.  I  joined  them  with  my  insect-net. 
We  j)ushed  and  shoved  through  the  ice,  at  times  haul- 
ing the  boat  over  some  refractory  floe.  A  cloudy,  misty 
day  is  anywhere  unfavorable  to  insect  life,  but  on  this 
coast  scarcely  an  insect  is  then  to  be  seen,  so  I  turned 
my  attention  to  ^-e  tilts  and  jacks.  A  raccoon's  skin 
was  shown  us,  and  we  were  told  that  four  or  five  years 
since  two  white-bear  cubs  were  captured  near  here  and 
carried  into  St.  John's,  while  a  large  white  or  "  water 
bear"  was  shot  last  week  up  at  Tub  Island.  This  proved 
not  to  be  a  fish  story,  as  Mr.  Bradford  afterwards  secured 
there  a  good  skin  which  was  destined  to  adorn  his  New 
York  studio  on  Tenth  Street.  A  white  bear's  skin  with- 
out the  head  is  worth  more  than  that  of  a  black  bear, 
for  which  six  dollars  is  asked. 


!:;, 


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1     . 


I- Mi 


150 


A   SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


I 


The  next  two  days  were  climatically  repetitions  of  the 
Fourth,  a  light  easterly  wind  holding  the  ice  in  the  har- 
hor.  Going  ashore' over  the  cakes,  we  spent  the  day  in 
entonnologizing,  and  here  the  first  grasshopper  occurred, 
found  floating  in  the  water  of  a  pool ;  at  first  I  thought 
it  was  a  wingless  form  called  Pezotettix,  from  the  short- 
ness of  its  wing-covers,  but  it  proved  to  be  an  allied 
winged  form  ;  two  other  wingless  specimens  were  the 
next  day  found  on  the  hill-side  ;  a  thousand-legs  {jftdus) 
also  occurred  under  the  leaves  and  sedges. 

The  highest  hill  in  sight  from  the  deck  of  our  vessel 
was  measured  by  Captain  Handy  from  sextant  observa- 
tions, and  found  to  be  397  feet  above  the  harbor ;  a  hill 
behind  it  rose  to  a  height  of  over  400  feet ;  another 
higher  hill,  used  as  ?■..  lookout,  was  about  800  feet  high  ; 
the  mountain  across  the  bay  must  therefore  be  not  less 
than  1,000  feet  high,  while  those  in  the  interior,  near  the 
head  of  the  bay,  seen  from  the  lookout,  were  probably 
not  less  than  1,500  feet  in  height.  Looking  out  to  sea 
from  this  high  elevation  the  ice  was  everywhere  in  view 
with  leads  between  the  floes,  and  here  and  there  a  vessel 
caught  in  them,  besides  two  broad,  massive  bergs  ap- 
parently forcing  their  way  through  the  ice-field.  On  the 
top  of  this  hill  we  were  in  a  region  of  transported  rocks, 
genuiniC  ice-borne  bowlders,  which  could  be  seen  on  all 
sides  dotting  the  tops  of  the  neighboring  hills  ;  they  were 
of  all  sizes,  an  occasional  rocking-stone  among  them  ; 
one  huge  rock  was  nearly  forty  feet  long  and  fifteen  feet 
high.  Many  were  overgrown  and  partly  concealed  by 
the  matted  growth  of  the  curlew  berry ;  bowlders  are 
also  seen  scattered  over  the  bottoms  of  the  shallow 
ponds,  and  in  the  brooks  and  streams.     They  appear  to 


FRESH-WATER   SHELLS. 


151 


have  travelled  but  a  short  distance  from  their  native 
rock,  as  they  are  mostly  large  and  angular,  though  some 
are  well  rounded.  The  hill-tops,  as  well  as  the  sides, 
have  been  moulded  by  ice,  roches  mojiton^es  being  as  dis- 
tinctly marked  here  as  in  New  England,  and  the  ice 
must  have  moved  from  the  north,  a  little  west ;  but  owing 
to  the  weathering  of  the  surface  of  the  rocks  in  this 
severe  climate,  no  grooves  could  here  be  found  to 
determine  the  exact  course  of  the  ice.  The  ranges  of 
hills,  however,  and  the  longer  diameter  of  the  ice  all 
have  a  N.E.  and  S.VV.  course,  while  the  bays  and  fjords 
ran  in  a  N.W.  and  S.E.  direction,  and  this  was  the 
course  in  general  taken  by  the  land-ice. 

Going  ashore  again  after  dinner  and  following  up  the 
chain  of  lakes,  I  saw  a  prostrate  canoe  or  paper  birch  a 
foot  in  diameter,  and  another  one,  also  lying  clown,  but 
smaller,  only  eight  inches  thick — good-sized  trees  for 
Labrador:  also  spruce  trees  ten  inches  through.  In  the 
ponds  the  cow-lily  was  just  beginning  to  bud,  though 
not  yet  reaching  the  surface;  a  little  cyclas-like  bivalve 
{Pisidiutn  steenbuchii),  hitherto  only  known  to  occur  in 
Greenland,  was  common  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of  a 
brook,  while  a  slug  (Limax  agrestis)  was  found  ashore, 
under  a  stone,  just  laying  its  pellucid  eggs ;  and  in  an- 
other brook  was  found  a  fresh-wate'-  sponge.  A  robin's 
nest  containing  three  eggs  with  young  nearly  ready  to 
hatch  was  detected  on  the  bough  of  a  spruce,  and  it  is 
most  probable  that  this  bird  raises  but  a  single  brood  of 
young  on  this  coast.  Under  a  hummock  of  moss  and 
sedges  lay  concealed  a  dormouse's  nest.  The  curlew-berry 
was  still  in  blossom,  its  flowers  like  those  of  the  blue- 
berry, but  of  a  beautiful  pale  purple.     About  the  inner- 


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JMJnill 


If;     ! 


A    SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO    NORTHERN    LAKRADOR. 


most  lake  were,  besides  spruce,  balsam  firs  and  larches, 
I  he  latter  six  inches  thick  ;  the  Kahnia  glaiica^  or  arctic 
laurel,  as  it  may  be  called,  was  just  beginning  to  flower. 

The  6th  closed  cold  and  damp  :  the  northeast  wind  had 
packed  the  ice  in  our  harbor  thicker  than  ever,  while  the 
thermometer  went  down  to  38°  F.  The  fishermen,  how- 
ever, manaijcd  to  seine  a  few  cod  and  herrino. 

The  morning  of  the  7th  was  the  coldest  we  had  expe- 
rienced, as  the  ice  formed  around  our  vessel  between  the 
cakes  of  floe-ice.  After  a  good  deal  of  exertion  a  few 
of  us  managed,  after  mucii  tugging  and  pushing  and 
forcing  the  ice-cakes  apart,  to  get  ashore  in  a  boat  ;  but 
we  had,  on  returning,  to  leave  our  boat  ashore  and  walk 
back  to  the  vessel.  Here  I  found,  my  fingers  numbed 
with  the  cold,  the  caterpillar  of  \iXo\)2\)\y  Arctiaijuciiselii 
on  the  larch,  which  also  occurs  on  the  Alps,  the  moun- 
tains of  Norwa)^  and  in  Greenland  and  Colorado.  It 
was  a  truly  mimetic  or  protective  form,  as  on  first  sight 
it  looked  like  a  bunch  of  moss  so  common  on  these  trees. 
At  noon  it  began  to  rain,  and  a  regular  northeast  storm 
set  in.  Through  the  next  two  days  (the  8th  and  9th)  we 
were  still  ice-  and  wind-bound,  with  cold,  rainy  weather. 
Sunday  the  loth  was  a  repetition  of  the  three  preceding, 
although  part  of  the  day  the  wind  was  from,  the  south- 
west. 1  he  fishermen  reported  a  fight  outside  of  the 
harbor  l)etween  a  whale  and  a  killer  and  sword-fish,  in 
which  the  whale  got  worsted,  turning  exhausted  upon 
his  back.  The  night  ended  in  rain,  which  continued 
through  the  next  morning ;  the  wind  was  at  first  south, 
then  southwest,  and  at  night  again  returned  to  its  fa- 
vorite quarter,  the  northeast,  with  very  cold  weather. 
During  the  day  there  were  some  strange  cloud  effects,  the 


IIIK    COD-FISH ERV. 


153 


higher  belt  of  clouds  moving  from  the  southwest,  while 
below  the  fog  scudded  in  from  the  east.  After  supper  a 
squall  froip.  the  west  struck  us  :  this  carried  the  ice  off- 
shore some  distance,  but  from  the  lookout  we  could  see 
the  ice-pack  closely  hugging  the  shore  to  the  northward 
of  our  harbor,  and  we  beheld  a  few  icebergs,  huge  cubi- 
cal blocks,  rising  above  the  ice-pack.  We  hope  to  get 
out  to-morrow,  as  several  vessels  have  come  in  which 
left  Henley  Harbor  on  the  day  we  did,  and  which  have 
been  ice-bound  in  Fox  Harbor,  just  above  us. 

The  people  com})lain  of  the  lateness  of  the  season  : 
the  ice  holding  so  late  and  in  such  an  immense  and 
unusual  quantity  is,  they  say,  "  killing  the  cod-lisherv." 
We  had  found  a  few  days  j)reviously  what  we  supposed 
to  be  young  capelin  an  inch  long,  with  the  tail  still  heter- 
ocercal,  and  thev  are  now  coming  inshore  to  breed.  This 
interesting  little  fish,  so  valuable  as  bait  in  fishing  for 
ei)d,  remains  near  the  coas»;  through  the  winter  in  deep 
water,  and  is  often  found  in  the  bay. 

The  ice  having  temporarily  left  the  harbor,  we  could 
again  dredge,  and  we  had  excellent  success;  the  number 
and  variety  of  marine  animals,  all  purely  arctic  in  type, 
being  very  pronounced. 

Here,  more  abundantly  than  elsewhere,  though  in 
deep  water,  occurred  large  sea-anemones  {Mctridium 
niarginatum)  and  gorgeous  sea-pinks  (^Urticina  crassi- 
i'orms),  with  slashes  of  red  on  a  flesh-colored  ground, 
and  as  beautifully  painted  as  any  carnation,  besides 
shrimps  with  not  less  delicate  flesh-red  and  vermilion 
tints.  The  colors  of  arctic  marine  animals  are  some- 
times pale  and  lifeless,  but  more  often  of  rich  salmon  and 
flesh  tints;  passing  into  deep  red.     W^hy  deep-sea  forms 


i  ■: 


154        A   summer's   CKUISK    to   northern    LABRADOR. 


when  highly  colored  arc  always  of  some  shade  of  red  is 
not  yet  well  understood,  but  such  is  the  case  with  holo- 
thurians,  starfish,  sandstars,  crabs,  and  shrimps,  as  well 
as  polyps  and  molluscs,  whether  living  at  the  depth  of 
100  or  1,000  fathoms.  This  evening  a  trader  came  into 
port,  which  had  been  in  eleven  harbors  since  leaving  us 
at  Salmon  Bay. 

The  1 2th  was  another  of  the  long,  long,  weary  days 
of  the  fortnight  spent  in  watching  and  waiting  for  our 
release  from  this  now  detestable  harbor,  more  like  a 
rocky  cage  than  a  haven  of  rest.  I  went  a-dredging 
and  lost  my  dredge  at  the  first  haul  on  a  rocky  bottom, 
which  added  to  the  aggravations  of  the  weather,  and 
left  but  one  other  for  the  rest  of  the  summer's  work. 

The  bay  was  now  full  of  capelin  ;  cod  were  also  be- 
ing netted  as  well  as  salmon,  which  is  said  to  disappear 
from  here  about  the  15th  of  August.  Salmon,  by  the 
way,  were  here  worth  40  cents  apiece  ;  at  Henley  Harbor 
we  paid  fifty  cents  for  one.  The  cod  are  now  breeding, 
as  the  spawn  is  full  and  ripe,  and  their  livers  are  poor 
and  lean.  Now  the  "  stages  "  presented  busy  scenes,  as 
there  was  a  "  spurt  o'  fishing  "  ;  one  day  seven  quintals  of 
cod  were  pitched  out  of  the  boats  upon  the  wharf ;  here 
the  men  leave  them,  turning  them  over  to  the  tender 
mercies  of  their  wives  and  sweethearts,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  gentler  sex  on  this  coast  are  not  in  other 
respects  so  fierce  and  sanguinary  as  when  left  alone  with 
the  cod.  The  "  headers,"  in  petticoats  tucked  up  so  as 
to  show  their  homespun  stockings  and  stout  shoes,  their 
sleeves  rolled  up  and  in  their  hand  a  formidable  knife, 
in  an  instant  seize  the  cod's  lifeless  corse,  and  with  a 
dexterous  stroke  behead  it ;  the  body  is  thrown  to  the 


THE    FLOE-ICE. 


155 


a 


"gutter;"  the  woman  or  maiden  thus  styled  slits  up  the 
belly,  tears  out,  like  an  augur  of  old,  the  entrails,  but 
doesn't  stop  to  inspect  them,  throws  the  livers  into  a 
hogshead,  and  the  disembowelled  fish  to  the  "splitter;" 
another  girl  or  woman  grown,  known  by  wearing  a  mit- 
ten on  the  left  hand,  who  attacks  the  fish  on  the  reverse 
side  from  the  "gutter,"  makes  a  deep  cut  along  each 
side  of  the  back-bone,  dexterously  but  with  her  mittened 
sinistral  hand  shies  that  important  part  of  the  fish's 
skeleton  into  the  harbor,  while  the  fish,  after  receiving 
this  threefold  treatment,  is  emphatically  slapped  into  a 
sled-barrow  and  carried  to  the  other  end  of  the  low 
shed  to  be  salted,  when  it  is  ready  for  the  flakes. 

While  on  shore  we  saw  at  one  of  the  houses  a  musk- 
rat's  skin,  which  had  a  much  better,  finer  fur  than  those 
at  home. 

On  the  1 2th  the  wind  veered  from  the  north  to  the 
northeast,  and  it  lighted  up  so  decidedly  towards  noon 
that  we  hoped  to  get  to  sea.  After  dinner,  Mr,  Brad- 
ford went  out  in  the  whale-boat  to  get  a  view  of  an  ice- 
berg, which  he  sketched  from  afar  off.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  cakes  of  floe-ice,  which  assumed  a  wonderful 
individuality.  One  in  particular  impressed  itself  on  my 
memory  :  it  was  a  lily  done  in  ice,  which  nodded  and 
swayed  to  and  fro  in  the  gentle  ocean  swell  like  a 
veritable  flower  moved  by  a  summer's  breeze;  anotiier 
was  like  a  woman's  torso :  and  so  passed  in  review  a 
series  of  animal  and  plant-like  forms  of  every  conceiva- 
ble shape,  while  mingled  with  the  white  ice  were  smaller 
pieces  of  dark,  colorless  ice  which  may  have  been  sev- 
ered from  some  arctic  glacier.  But  before  the  artist's 
study  was  fairly  made,  the  insidious  northeastern  breeze 


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156      A  summkk's  cruisk  to  northern  i.ahrador. 

deployed  a  few  skirmishers  from  the  edge  of  the  pack  and 
soon  l)rought  the  whole  floe  upon  us.  Down  it  came, 
borne  by  the  wind  and  the  Labrador  current,  at  the  rate 
of  three  or  four  miles  an  hour.  Tt  closed  in  at  Cape 
Bluff  to  the  north  of  us.  We  ran  before  the  wind,  soon 
leaving  in  the  distance  the  twin  bergs,  with  their  myr- 
midons of  the  floe.  On  entering  the  tickle  we  found 
ourselves  completely  surrounded,  well-nigh  cut  off  from 
our  harbor,  but  by  dint  of  tacking  and  pushing  the  cakes 
to  one  side  with  our  oars,  and  running  over  some  smaller 
floes  which  ji'nasheel  and  ground  harshly  on  our  boat's 
bottom,  wc  got  thiough  just  in  time  to  escape  being 
completely  shut  out.  Not  so,  however,  a  boat's  crew 
which  had  hurried  out  to  pull  up  their  salmon -nets, 
and  who  did  not  appear  until  long  after  we  had  boarded 
our  vessel. 

Our  box  of  a  harbor  was  again  jaiTjmed  full  of  ice, 
eight  vessels  riding  at  their  hawsers,  all  ice-bound.  And 
now  looking  through  the  pellucid  water  between  the 
cakes  of  ice,  our  old  arctic  friends  the  Mertensia  and 
Clione,  welled  up  from  below,  seeking  the  surface,  as 
cold  and  calm  as  the  ice  itself. 

As  the  sun  went  down  the  fog  succeeded  the  ice';  but 
it  hung  low,  leaving  the  blue  sky  above  us,  screening 
our  craft  even  from  the  shore  and  in  part  from  the 
neighboring  vessel.  Before  the  twilight  fell  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  then  an  hour  high,  passing  through  the  mist 
gave  rise  to  a  "fog -eater,"  a  broad,  diffused  rainbow, 
which  was  dispelled  as  the  moon  rose  and  peered  in  over 
the  sides  of  the  screen  of  fog. 

Ainong  the  late  arrivals  was  a  Newfoundland  fishing- 
smack  which  had  two  crews  aboard,  and  with  them  six 


ICEBERGS. 


'57 


women,  all  unmarried,  two  of  them  mere  <iirls,  who  lived 
in  the  same  cabin  witii  the  men,  but  stowed  away  in 
dark  holes  and  corners  of  the  apartment.  They  were 
paid  from  /lo  to  ^lo,  ys.  for  the  voyage  of  live  months, 
or  a  little  over  a  dollar  a  week,  and  their  work  was  to 
"  head,"  "  <ijut,"  split,  and  salt  the  lish.  Everythin<i  about 
the  interior  was  forlorn,  dirty,  j^reasy,  and  not  a  soul 
aboard  had  apparently  washed  for  weeks. 

We  remained  one  more  day  in  Square  Islantl  Harbor, 
the  14th,  which  ended  in  a  thunder-shower  and  a  west- 
erly squall,  which  cleared  the  harbor  of  ice  and  gave 
promise  of  release  from  our  two  weeks'  imprisonment. 
It  was  warm  and  sultry  in  the  forenoon,  the  westerly 
wind  bringing"  in  swarms  of  moscjuitoes  and  black-flics, 
especially  annoying  while  1  was  ashore  beating  the  herb- 
age and  bushes  for  insects. 

On  the  15th  we  slipped  out  of  our  stone  jug  at 
Square  Island,  and  with  a  mild  southwest  breeze,  which 
freshened  in  the  afternoon,  we  gaily  picked  our  way 
through  the  ice  and  amongst  the  icebergs  up  the  lane 
between  the  shore  and  the  ice-pack,  now  fairly  shoved 
to  the  eastward  some  miles  from  land.  At  noon,  after 
making  about  ten  miles,  we  lay  to  near  a  superb  marble- 
white  berg,  weather-,  rain-,  and  wave-worn,  broad  at  the 
base,  indented  by  a  deep  bay,  into  which  the  sea-swell 
rushed  and  foamed.  Wasson  and  Phcoenix  got  out  their 
boat  and  rowed  around  it;  Bradford  made  studies  in  oil 
of  its  many  phases,  its  blues  so  impossible  to  thoroughly 
catch,  as  well  as  its  ineffable  purples.  Another  berg  was 
like  a  huge  block  of  city  buildings,  the  foundations  hun- 
dreds of  feet   beneath  the  waves  ;  another  was  a  huge 


:i:J 

'l.'l 

1 
1 

1 

i 

1 
1' 

■ 

J 

'T' 


iif 


li 


158        A   summer's   TRUISE   to    northern    I.AHRAnOR. 

pyramid  stranded  near  an  island,  and  looked  like  a  gla- 
cier descendinji^  its  precipitous  sides. 

As  we  go  on  through  the  watery  lane  huge  floes  swing 
oflf  shore  and  are  borne  down  past  us  by  the  strong 
Labrador  current ;  the  bays  are  still  choked  with  ice 
which  the  southwest  wind  is  forcing  to  the  seaward. 
The  ice  is  remarkably  hummocky;  worn  into  the  most 
fantastic  shapes.  The  coast  has  the  same  rude,  broken, 
tossed,  and  disquieted  appearance  as  about  Square  Island, 
but  with  more  of  the  high  conical  sugar-loaf  islands  of 
Labradorite  rock,  such  as  we  were  now  to  see  all  the 
way  to  Hopedale. 

At  Seal  Island  the  "Domino  gneiss "  of  Lieber  ap- 
pears, protected  seaward  by  high  islands  intermixed 
with  low  gneiss  "skiers,"  and  as  we  press  on  the  shore 
becomes  much  lower,  the  coast -line  straight  and  but 
little  broken  ;  but  as  we  approach  the  Isle  of  Ponds 
the  shore  seaward  becomes  high  and  bold,  perhaps  300 
to  400  feet,  with  lofty  sea-cliffs.  These  are  formed  by 
the  dolerite  or  trap  rock  which  has  penetrated  and  over- 
flown the  gneiss.  The  scenery  of  these  trap  overflows 
is  quite  novel.  The  seaward  side  of  Spotted  Island  is 
of  trap  rock,  and  on  the  west  the  gneiss  rock  is  low  and 
very  slowly  slopes  towards  the  channel  which  separates  it 
from  the  Isle  of  Ponds  ;  there  are  also  two  or  three  trap 
islets  which  rise  out  of  the  water.  Going  ashore  and  as- 
cending one  of  the  trap  hills,  perhaps  the  remnants  of 
some  old  volcanic  crater  which  rises  out  of  the  sur- 
rounding gneiss,  I  can  take  a  view  of  the  whole  island, 
see  other  trap  hills  rising  out  of  the  gneiss  plain,  which 
is  studded  thickly  with  shallow  pools  and  lakes  sunk  in 
the  peat,  and  is  low  and  flat  compared  with  the  coast  ten 


iiOMINO   HARIJOK. 


«59 


:h 
in 


miles  to  the  suulli  ;  while  northward  this  low  land  or 
basin  stretches  away  for  several  miles,  while  twenty  or 
thirty  miles  inland  the  country  rises  into  hijjfh  hills  and 
mountains,  the  highest  summit  rising  perhaps  1,500  feel 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  This  range  or  grou[)  of  peaks 
was  probably  the  Mealy  Mountains  situated  on  the 
northern  side  of  Sandwich  Bay. 

The  low  plain  before  us  evidently  belonged  to  a  dis- 
tinct geological  system  from  any  that  we  had  yet  seen  ; 
it  rested  in  a  depression  or  basin  of  Laurentian  gneiss, 
and  was  called  by  Lieber  the  "  Domino  gneiss,"  and 
probably  belongs  to  the  Upper  Laurentian  system. 

The  plain  is  worn  smoothly,  and  slopes  gradually 
toward  Domino  Harbor  ;  scattered  over  it  are  patches  of 
large  cobble-stones,  which  indicate  that  it  was  once  a 
raised  ocean-bottom,  now  at  least  125  feet  high,  which 
reached  to  the  base  of  the  angular  masses  of  trap  rock 
capping  the  gneiss  elevation.  Strip  off  the  scattered 
masses  of  matted  growth  of  curlew-berry  and  crant)erry, 
and  the  smooth,  wave-worn,  pebbly  surface  would  seem 
as  if  but  yesterday  won  from  the  dominion  of  the  sea. 

Domino  Harbor,  or  Domino  Run,  as  it  is  called  on  the 
chart,  is  a  broad,  deep  fissure  which  nearly  divides  the 
island  in  two,  the  shores  vertical  though  not  very  high, 
with  fishing-houses  along  the  western  side,  under  which 
were  moored  seven  brigs  with  their  sails  "  unbent,"  the 
bare  masts  rising  but  slightly  above  the  cliffs.  Not  a 
tree  or  bush  is  to  be  seen  in  any  direction,  only  low 
spreading  masses  of  willow,  belonging  to  two  species : 
one  of  them  just  beginning  to  throw  out  its  catkins  ;  the 
other,  with  small,  acute  glaucous  leaves,  had  done  flower- 
ing.    Running  over  the   leaves  of    the   willow  was  an 


I 


'I'j'j 


l6o        A    summer's   cruise   to   northern    LABRADOR. 


'     M! 

is       I 


arctic  ground-beetle  {Carabus groenlandicus),  which  had 
not  before  been  found  south  of  Greenland. 

Here  was  the  best  summer-house  we  had  yet  seen, 
well  built  and  tolerably  attractive  ;  two  pleasant,  wom- 
anly faces  within,  and  a  spaniel  lying  in  front  of  *^he 
door.  Captaui  Duff,  the  proprietor,  had  a  spacious 
wharf  or  stage  and  a  well-kept  fish-house,  while  he  had 
arranged  the  white  quartz  pebbles  in  an  attractive  way 
to  form  a  drying-floor  or  flake,  instead  of  using  poles  ; 
and  the  walk  from  the  stage  to  the  house  was  neatly 
made  of  short  poles,  forming  a  corduroy-path.  Another 
toad  was  here  seen,  which  some  one  had  brought  from 
the  head  of  the  bay;  the  man  said  that  they  were  only 
known  to  l)e  found  here  and  in  St.  Michael's  Bay.  We 
also  were  told  that  a  polar  bear  was  killed  here  two 
months  ago. 

VVe  reached  this  harbor  early  in  the  afternoon,  and 
some  of  the  vessels  which  we  had  passed  on  the  way 
after  awhile  came  in  and  dropped  their  anchor  near  us  ; 
others  sailed  on  all  night,  but  gained  nothing  in  the  end. 
We  astonished  the  natives  and  fishermen  as  we  sailed 
past  their  slower  craft — of  which  we  passed  to-day  about 
thirty  ;  some  would  in  a  flattering  and  good-natured  way 
hold  out  a  rope's  end,  asking  to  be  towed.  They  told 
us  they  had  seen  ninetv  sail  that  day  in  the  sound  lead- 
insf  to  the  harbor. 

In  dredging  at  the  slight  depth  of  only  seven  fathoms, 
to  my  great  joy  that  interesting  and  hitherto  purely  polar 
holothurian  {Myri'otrocktis  rinkii),  came  up;  with  it 
were  associated  the  short  arctic  mya  {Mya  truncata),  the 
Iceland  cockle  i^Cardiuni  islandi'cunt),  the  Greenland 
Aphrodite,  the  polar  starfish  {Asterias  polaris),  the  inevi 


I        :« 


DUMPLTN    HARBOR. 


l6l 


table  knotted  sandstar  {^Ophioglypha  nodosa),  and   other 
forms  only  previously  recorded  from  Greenland. 

The  evening'  was  rarely  beautiful  for  this  coast  ;  the 
ice  was  out  of  sight,  and  the  wav  seemed  clear  for  a  ^ood 
run  on  the  morrow. 

The  1 6th  proved  all  that  we  could  have  desired  in 
point  of  wind,  weather,  and  absence  of  ice.  A  fresh  but 
warm  northwest  wind,  sometimes  almost  blowing  a  gale 
off-shore,  i)ore  us  a  distance  of  forty-five  miles.  The 
thermometer  at  nine  o'clock  was  64°  F.  in  the  shade  ;  at 
ten  o'clock  84°  in  the  sun,  and  at  one  o'clock  p.m.  73° 
in  the  shade.  Our  way  led  through  a  broad  sound  in- 
side of  the  outer  islands,  and  then  across  the  mouth  of 
Sandwich  Bav.  At  two  p.m.,  however,  our  further  ad- 
vance received  a  check.  We  had  crossed  the  mouth  of 
Sandwich  Bay  and  were  approaching  the  Horsechopson 
the  north  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  bay,  when  the  wind 
drew  in  from  the  north  and  headed  us  off,  so  that  we  ran 
back  to  Dumplin  Harbor.  As  we  entered  we  nearly  ran 
aground  ;  and  then  in  trying  to  escape  that  disaster,  we 
came  near  having  a  collision  with  a  schooner's  stern  on 
the  other  side  of  the  narrow  entrance.  On  this  occasion 
our  pilot,  Captain  French,  nearly  lost  his  head,  and  it 
has  been  my- lot  on  several  occasions  to  sail  with  pilots 
who  lost  their  presence  of  mind  at  just  the  critical 
moment  when  their  senses  should  be  ready  at  an  instant's 
call.  Thorough  knowledge  of  the  rocks,  shoals,  and 
headlands  of  a  coast  is  not  always  united  with  the  high- 
est order  of  executive  ability  ;  but  on  the  whole,  no  fault 
could  be  found  with  the  management  of  our  vessel  ;  she 
was  a  Wellfleet  oysterman,  built  by  Donald  McKay  ;  her 
lines  were  beautiful,   but  she  was  not  adapted  for  the 


I    I 


1 62 


A   SUMMERS    CkUlSE    TO    NORTHERN    LAliRAUUR. 


i  if 


,  1 1 


t  iS         i 


perils  of  this  coast  and  of  semi-arctic  navigation.  We 
pushed  on  cautiously  and  too  slowly  for  the  impatient 
company  aboard,  l)ut  we  all  reached  home  safely,  and 
ran  into  no  "^reat  damper. 

Within  two  hours  after  we  had  dropped  our  anchor  a 
fleet  of  thirty-seven  vessels  of  all  descriptions — top-sail, 
fore-and-aft,  and  three-masted  schooners,  brigs  and  brig- 
antines,  and  hermaphrodite  craft — were  at  anchor  in  a 
line  ;  they  came  in  one  after  the  other  in  single  file,  all 
having  been  headed  off  by  the  ice  as  we  had  been  ;  and  as 
they  approached  us,  we,  or  rather  our  goodly  vessel,  was 
the  recipient  of  admiring  looks  and  complimentary  ejac- 
ulations in  Newfoundland  dialect,  the  amount  of  room 
on  deck  and  the  cleanliness  of  our  craft  being  the  par- 
ticular points  of  remark  :  and  there  was  somewhat  of  a 
contrast,  which  appealed  feelingly  to  our  nostrils  when 
we  returned  their  calls.  In  the  hold  of  one  vessel  I  was 
delighted  to  see  the  head  and  flippers  of  a  veritable  wal- 
rus. This  was  alone  needed  to  complete  the  experiences 
of  arctic  voyaging  of  the  past  three  weeks.  They  found 
the  creaiure,  a  young  one  twelve  feet  long  with  tusks 
four  inches  in  length,  about  fifty  miles  from  shore  near 
the  entrance  to  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle ;  it  was  found 
dead,  having  been  harpooned,  and  had  evidently  floated 
down  in  the  floe-ice  from  higher  latitudes. 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  day's  sail  was  the  raised 
beaches  which  marked  the  former  level  of  the  oc<  an. 
Twelve  very  distinct  ones  were  seen  from  the  vessel 
while  on  her  course.  At  Spotted  Island  were  two  low 
but  very  regular  beaches,  perhaps  forty  feet  high.  On  a 
small  islet  to  the  north,  between  two  trap  hills,  was  a 
beach  which  extended  up  to  a  height  of  perhaps  from 


roc 
the 
we 
to  S( 
to  b 
by 
perl 
the 

set 
aboi 


IIUNI  INc;  ION    IIARIJOR. 


163 


ll 


150  to  200  fe(  above  the  sea,  and  divided  into  three  ter- 
races, with  very  stee|)  escarpments.  On  Stony  Ishnid, 
towards  the  east,  was  a  small  short  beach  between  two 
trap  hills,  and  a  much  higher  one  was  on  ihe  noithern 
side;  on  an  island  perha])S  twenty-five  miles  north  of 
Dotiiino  Harbor  was  a  beach  at  least  100  feet  hi<i"h  and 
facin^^  west.  Indeed  it  looked  as  if  the  entire  coast  and 
islands  had  just  lisen  from  Hie  sea,  while  above  tiie  for- 
mer level  of  the  ocean,  when  at  its  highest  point,  the 
hills  were  strewn  with  Ixnvlders. 

We  now  passed  larger  banks  of  snow  than  had  here- 
tofore been  observed  :  one  in  Mullein  Cove  on  the  south 
side  of  Cape  North  appealed  to  be  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  long.  Cape  North  is  a  bold  headland,  fully 
400  feet  high,  faced  with  rude,  jagged  trap  rocks,  and 
within  composed  of  gneiss  ;  and  on  the  south  side  a 
low  raised  beach,  with  large  trap  islands  opposite,  called 
Greely  Islands.  We  then  pass  Cape  Noble,  with  its 
overhanging  cliffs  and  a  fine  deep  harbor  ;  near  it  are 
"  The  Sisters,"  two  low,  flat  islands,  one  with  a  trap  dyke 
passing  through  the  middle,  the  other  one  half  black  trap 
rock,  the  vegetation  on  it  of  a  bright  green,  clinging  to 
the  black  debris  of  the  volcanic  rock.  From  this  point 
we  could  again  see  the  ice  to  the  northeast  moving  out 
to  sea.  After  passing  Long  Island  head,  which  seemed 
to  be  of  red  syenite  and  about  400  feet  high,  we  sailed 
by  Huntington  Island,  a  noble  mass  of  volcanic  rock 
perhaps  500  feet  high,  with  an  evergreen  growth  seen  in 
the  bays  indenting  its  shores. 

On  the  mainland  a  large  fire  was  raging,  probably 
set  by  the  Indians;  the  sky  to  the  westward  and  all 
about  us  was  lurid  with   the  smoke.      Here  also  we  felt 


1,! 


j   . 
1  ; 

.  1 
:i; 

■  i 

1 
i 

i  • 

1 

tl 

i 

'^ji 

1 

164 


A    summer's   CKUTSK    to   northern    LABRADOR. 


the  full  force  of  the  I./abrador  current  which  hugs  this 
shore,  running  at  the  rate  of  three  knots  an  hour,  its 
effects  not  much  weakened  by  the  outer  islands.  The 
water  at  the  surface  was  perceptil)ly  fresh,  brought  down 
by  the  rivers  and  streams  emptying  into  these  bays. 

Going  ashore  in  our  harbor  (Dumplin)  we  found  the 
beautiful  dwarf  arctic  laurel  (^Kalinin  glaitai)  just  in 
Hower  ;  associated  with  it  was  a  narrow-leaved  Ledum 
in  full  bloom,  and  very  distinct  from  the  Labrador  tea 
(Ledum  latifolhmi),  which  was  only  just  beginning  to 
fiovver  ;  besides,  it  is  more  procumbent  and  lives  on  more 
exposed  surfaces  than  the  broad-leaved  species.  In  one 
sheltered  spot  was  a  thick  growth  of  spruce,  mostly 
dwarfed,  though  one  stump  was  seen  to  be  thirteen 
inches  in  diameter.  Dredging  in  four  fathoms  did  not 
bring  to  light  any  novelties.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
island  there  was  a  good  deal  of  ice.  Before  sunset  the 
sky  cleared  in  the  west ;  there  was  a  fresh  westerly  breeze 
through  the  night,  and  a  good  prospect  of  a  fair  day  on 
the  morrow.  Salmon  trout  were  caught  here,  and  the 
sea-trout  are  at  places  common  enough  ;  but  the  shallow 
lakes  do  not  abound  in  fish,  although  the  deep  lakes 
among  the  mountains  of  the  interior  were  said  by  Davies, 
at  the  time  he  wrote,  to  be  well  stocked  with  them. 
Pike's  Harbor  was  three  miles  above  us,  and  Tub  Island 
was  also  in  sight. 

From  this  poin^  we  could  see  the  famous  Mealy 
Mountain  range,  composed  of  lofty  hills  said  by  ex- 
plorers to  be  from  1,500  to  2,500  feet  in  height  ;  we 
judged  their  height  to  be  not  much  less  than  2,000  feet ; 
they  are  certainly  considerably  higher  than  the  moun- 
tains of  Mt.  Desert.  Maine,  tne  highest  peak  of  which  i^ 


J  il 


RAISED   BEACHES. 


165 


i,5(X)  feet.  1  his  range  runs  in  a  general  northeast  and 
southwest  direction  between  Sandwich  Bay  and  Hamil- 
ton Inlet,  and  it  well  deserves  to  be  accurately  measured 
and  mapped.  To  the  highest  peak  of  this  range  we 
have  given  the  name  of  Mt.  Cabot,  in  honor  of  John 
and  Sebastian  Cabot.  The  position  of  Dumplin  Harbor 
was  ascertained  by  Captain  Handy  by  reckoning  from 
observations  of  the  sun  at  noon  to  be  in  lat.  53°  48' ; 
long.  56°  23'. 

The  17th  was  a  fine  day,  with  the  wind  from  the 
south,  sometimes  hauling  east  of  south.  We  ran  twenty- 
five  miles  across  the  mouth  of  Sandwich  Bay  to  Tub 
Island,  well  known  to  the  fisherman  on  the  coast,  and  the 
farthest  point  reached  by  American  fishermen  ;  it  is  high 
and  steep,  and  so  named  for  its  resemblance  to  a  tub  ly- 
ing bottom-side  up.  Beyond  this  harbor  the  Labrador 
coast  is  the  Ultima  Thule  of  America  ;  and  here  the  ser- 
vices of  our  coast-pilot.  Captain  French,  were  to  [)c.  su[)- 
plemented  by  native  guides.  We  now  had  high  expec- 
tations of  making  new  discoveries  in  the  entomology, 
marine  zoology,  and  geology  of  the  northern  coast  of 
this  little-known  region.  Tub  Island  was  found  to  be 
in  lat.  54°  12',  long.  56"  40'. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  headlands  on  the  coast 
is  the  eastern  end  of  Horsechops  Island  ;  a  lofty  basaltic 
cliff  with  a  human  profile,  the  nose  distinctly  Roman 
and  the  forehead  retreating.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
island  were  three  raised  beaches,  at  least  100  feet  high. 
Inshore  the  land  was  very  high  (the  highest  portion  398 
feet  by  the  chart),  with  the  snow  lying  on  it  in  extensive 
fields. 

A  white  bear  was  shot  two  years  ago.  on  an  island  a 


m')i 


'i' 


•1  !' 


■t    : 


'Il 


i66 


A    Sl'MMEKS    CKUISr,     I'O    NORlllKKN    LAliRADOR. 


ii 


few  miles  soLitli  of  Tub  Island,  under  the  follovviiitr  cir- 
cumstances :  A  man  was  walkin"-  alon«-  the  shore  with 
his  little  (lirl  ;  they  separated  ;  she  saw  the  hearand  ran  to 
her  father  ;  the  bear  also  ran,  and  plunged  into  the  water, 
where  the  man  shot  him.  I  was  particular  to  inquire  as 
to  the  occurrence  of  this  animal,  and  from  all  1  learned, 
it  appears  to  be  more  or  less  of  a  permanent  resident  on 
the  northern  Labrador  coast,  though  I  at  first  supposed 
that  it  only  occasionally  strayed  from  the  arctic  regions  ; 
it  would  seem  as  if  its  range  overlapped  that  of  the  black 
bear,  the  two  s|)ecies  being  found  in  the  same  localities, 
norlh  of  Belle  Isle, 

We  visited  American  Island,  which  is  a  little  west  of 
Tub  Island,  and  colonized  during  the  summer  by  a  man 
named  Williams  ;  it  is  of  light-colored  gneiss,  with  ex- 
tensive broad  trap  dykes  and  irregular  masses  of  the  same 
volcanic  material.  Williams  was  distinguished  from 
other  of  his  countrymen  by  having  married  a  full-blooded 
Eskimo-woman.  They  had  no  children  of  their  own, 
but  had  adopted,  strange  to  say,  a  mountaineer  or  Nas- 
kope  Intlian  child.  The  poor  thing  had  been  "burnt" 
by  frost  during  the  past  winter,  and  still  suffered  from 
her  exposure.  On  our  way  to  the  island  we  saw  the  fin 
of  a  killer  j)rojeeting  four  or  five  feet  above  the  water, 
moving  rapidly  to  and  fro  in  a  school  of  grampus,  as  if 
engaged  in  combat  with  the  latter,  which  were  recog- 
nized bv  their  small  fins,  only  a  foot  high,  which  some- 
times broke  the  surface  (^f  the  sea. 

From  Tub  Island  we  could  easily  see  the  land  twenty 
miles  distant  on  the  north  shore  of  Groswater  Bay  or 
Hamilton  Inlet,  Tub  Island  being  at  the  southern  en- 
trance :  it  is,  however,  fortv  miles  across  the  mouth  ol 


SKA-FOWL. 


167 


ni 


this  great  inlet,  the  larijest  and  deepest  bay  in  the 
coast. 

Unfortunately  we  did  not  jljo  up  Ivuctoke  Bay,  or 
Hamilton  Inlet,  as  it  is  variously  called,  thoujLih  well 
meritinjj  a  thorough  exploration,  since  it  is  the  largest 
and  deepest  fiord  on  the  Labrador  coast.  Its  general 
shape  may  be  seen  in  the  map  of  Eskimo  Bay.  The 
principal  settlement  is  Rigolet,  a  Hudson  Bay  Com- 
pany's post. 

The  ice-belt  was  reported  "as  thick  enough  to  walk 
on"a  few  miles  to  the  westward,  and  the  wind  blew  chilly 
and  damp  from  that  direction.  Day  before  yesterday 
the  floes  were  close  in  shore.  Here  we  saw  more  sea- 
fowl  than  had  been  observed  of  late,  a  few  puftins, 
murres,  guillemots,  and  a  pair  of  eider-ducks.  Years 
ago  these  l)ays  swarmed  with  fowl,  where  now  they  are 
well-nigh  deserted.  in  "Old  Man's  bight,"  Captain 
French  twelve  vears  ago  saw  the  wild  goose  in  immense 
numbers.  We  did  not  see  a  goose  upon  the  whole  coast  ; 
and  now  since  they  have  been  so  closelv  hunted  they  are 
rare  and  shy.  The  captain  again  and  again  expressed 
his  astonishment  at  the  amount  of  ice  upon  this  nortiiern 
coast  ;  he  had  never  s(xmi  it  before  north  of  Belle  Isle, 
and  from  all  accounts  it  has  been  the  coldest  season,  with 
the  most  floe-ice,  experienced  for  nearly  forty  years. 
The  cod  had  not  "struck  in  "  at  this  point  yet;  a  few 
capelin  had  been  seen,  but  the  fishery  had  not  yet  begun, 
while  last  year  long  before  this  date  there  was"  plenty  of 
fish." 

This  morning  at  Dumplin  Harbor  Mr.  Mann  caught 
a  Chionobas  differing  very  slightly  from  C.  scmidea,  but 
in  Mr.  Scudder's  opinion   specifically  different  from  that 


;  ■  n 


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» 1: 


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l68         A    SU'MMKR'b   CKUISK     TO   NORTilEKN    LABRADOR. 

species,  whose  only  habitat  then  known  was  the  summit 
of  Mt.  Washington.  It  has  since  been  observed  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Here  also  we  found  the  beach-pea 
{^Lathyriis  maritimns)  just  flowering. 

July  i8.  We  left  Tub  Island  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  crossing  the  mouth  of  Hamilton  Inlet  were 
obliged  to  put  into  Sloop  Harbor,  twenty-live  miles  dis- 
tant. The  southwest  wind  freshened  after  dinner  and 
blew  off  shore  in  the  evening,  but  we  were  prevented 
from  reaching  Cape  Webuc  or  Harrison  by  the  ice,  some 
of  which  floated  about  our  vessel  while  at  anchor.  It 
was,  however,  waning;  large  cakes  breaking  into  pieces 
with  a  report  like  a  volley  of  firearms. 

The  northern  shore  of  Groswater  Bay — Hamiltt)n  or 
Ivuctoke  Inlet,  as  it  is  variously  called  by  the  French, 
English,  and  Eskimo  inhabitants — is  in  places  very  high 
and  rugged,  owing  to  the  presence  of  trap  dykes  and  an- 
cient volcanic  overflows  capping  the  hills  of  gneiss. 
Huge  dykes  of  the  black  rock  ran  in  ruffled  crests  over 
the  hills  of  pale,  gneiss-like,  huge  black  walls.  "  Black 
and  White"  is  a  notable  island,  conico-pyramidal  in  form, 
the  western  end  of  black  trap  rock,  the  eastern  end  com- 
posed of  the  pale  gneiss  common  on  this  part  of  the 
coast.  There  is  a  similar  but  less  conspicuous  and  lower 
island  to  the  eastward.  One  dyke  in  particular,  seen  just 
before  entering  Sloop  Harbor,  was  of  basaltic  columns 
in  horizontal,  quite  regular,  prisms.  The  highest  hills  ap- 
peared to  be  about  seven  or  eight  hundred  feet  in  height, 
though  this  may  be  too  high  an  estimate  ;  *  but  owing 
to  the  great  outbursts  of  black  basalt  capping  the  light 


*  Cape   Harrison  is  estimated  on  the  chart  to  he  1,065  feet  high. 


"  BLACK-AND-WHirb:  "    ISLAND. 


169 


Nortlic-ni    Coast    ol    llainiltcjii    Inlet,    tour   Miles   distant,   beariii^i-    K. 


Coast    near    Indian    Ilarl.or.  //.    Itidian    llarlxn-, 


Coast  hills,  500   to  Soo    feet    hi^h,  <>i^  noiili    side    of   Ilainilion   lidei,  bearing 

one  mile  north. 


While   and    Black"  Island  near   Indian    Harbor:  <i,  black   i)asalt;    />,  whitish 

gneiss. 


Two  parallel  dikes,  one  forming  the  crest  of   the  hill;    one-half  mile  n.  w.;  />,  (> . 

white  gneiss. 


Three  trap  dikes;  i,   the  top  of    "Black   and  White"    Island  forming  the  west- 
ern slope,     b,  b,  white  gneiss. 


m.. ^1^ 


^anjcw^si^ 


Northern   shore   of   Hamilton      Inlet,    the   extreme     point   to  the  right.       a, 

basalt;   b,  white  gneiss. 

gneiss  hills,  and  running  in  ridges  or  forming  great 
splashes  on  the  face  of  the  hills,  and  sometimes  entire 
hills,  like  craters,  the   hills  are   transformed   from  what 


(T'l 


t  P 


II 


170 


A    SUMMERS   CKHISK    K)    NOKIHKRN    LABRADOR. 


would  Otherwise  he  quite  tame  elevations  into  hifjh,  hold, 
wiId-lookin<:i^  peaks. 

We  went  into  Indian  I  larhor,  which  is  an  island  from 
ten  to  fifteen  miles  from  the  mainland,  formin_<2:  the 
northern  side  of  the  entrance  to  Hamilton  Inlet,  to  find 
a  pilot  for  Cape  Harrison,  but  none  could  he  found. 
Near  here  is  Ice  Tickle,  wher(;  the  ice  is  usually  de- 
tained later  than  elsewhere.  Around  one  hij^h  head  the 
murres  are  very  abundant  ;  it  was  evidently  a  favorite 
breedinii^-place  for  them  ;  indeed  all  through  the  polar 
regions  we  imagine  that  these  sea-fowl  (murres,  dovkies, 
sea-pigeons,  and  guillemots)  are  somewhat  local,  breeding 
about  certain  hi^h  headlands  and  inaccessible  crairs  and 
cliffs;  Vvhile  the  puffins  select  points  where  they  may 
burrow  and  mine  in  the  crumbling  rock. 

Around  the  head  of  this  harbor,  and  esj)ecially  well 
marked  on  the  southwest  side,  is  a  noble  beach  at  least 
150  and  most  probably  200  feet  high,  lodged  between 
two  hills  ;  its  shingly  surface  was  free  from  vegetation, 
and  it  looked  as  though  the  waves  had  receded  from  it 
but  the  night  before  ;  it  was  divided  into  two  steps  or 
terraces,  the  lowermost  perhaps  about  50  feet  above  the 
harbor.  It  was  a  constant  source  of  regret  that  there  was 
no  means  at  hand  of  accurately  measuring  the  height  of 
these  beaches  :  not  an  aneroid  barometer  was  aboard,  and 


THE    COAST    BKIWEKN    CAPK    HARRISON    AND    Sl.OOP    HARBOR    BEARING  TION  MILES 

WEST. 

I  was  quite  unprepared  for  their  accurate  study.  Indeed 
almost  no  attention  has  been  given  to  the  subject  of 
ancient  sea-margins  in  the  United  States,  the  terraces  of 


rNHiAN  iiAunok. 


171 


the  Great  Lakes  haviiiff^  heen  measured  more  aecuralelv, 
since  they  are  much  more  distinct  than  those  on  the 
coast.  But  on  my  return  after  this  experience  with 
Labrador  raised  beaches,  it  was  easy  to  detect  them  in 
the  vicinity  of  Salem,  Lynn,  Chelsea,  and  Boston,  as  well 
as  on  the  Maine  coast,  though  ctn  tiie  New  Lni'land 
shores  they  are  difficult  to  distiniruish  on  account  of  the 
vegetable  growth  and  forests  which  conceal  them  and 
prevent  their  ready  recognition. 

Huge  bowlders  of  syenite,  some  oval  and  very  round, 
were  scattered  about  on  shore,  the  smalk'r  ones  well 
rounded  by  the  waves,  while  tlie  bottom  of  the  harbor  is 
paved  with  cobble-stones,  as  wc  ascertained  by  dredging. 
The  summits  of  the  hills  surrounding  the  harbor  were 
formed  of  a  pale,  whitish,  foliated  syenite,  with  scattered 
specks  of  hornblende,  while  lower  down  on  the  sides 
the  rock  u^as  a  very  dark  gneiss,  slightly  porphyritic.  I 
found  here  a  dwarf  willow  new  to  me,  the  flowers  purple, 
of  nearly  the  same  tint  as  the  flowers  of  the  cloud-berry. 
A  species  of  field-mouse,  which  we  failed  to  capture,  was 
common  here,  its  nests  lined  with  mouse-colored  fur. 

The  head  of  the  harbor  was  said  to  be  haunted  bv  a 
ghost ;  we  did  not  attemj)t  to  secure  it  or  to  lay  it,  l)ut 
a  more  substantial,  though  still  a  fleeting  treasure, 
was  the  huge,  glacier-like  snow-banks  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  haunted  spot,  which  were  perhaps  20  feet  thick, 
very  hard  on  the  surface,  and  much  soiled  :  too  hard,  per- 
haps, to  retain  even  the  traces  of  the  footprints  of  a  Lab- 
rador spirit — whose  tread,  judging  by  the  average  Labra- 
dorian,  must  have  been  a  firm  one.  One  of  the  banks 
appeared  to  have  slidden  into  the  water,  and  from  its 
edge  a  miniature  berg  had  broken  ofT  and  was  floating 


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away.  So  well  marked  were  the  ice-worn  hills  about  us 
and  elsewhere  on  this  coast,  that  this  snow-bank  seemed 
but  the  dwarfed  descendant  of  the  great  multitude  of 
glaciers  which  had  so  recently  filled  the  innumerable 
bays,  fjords,  and  "tickles"  of  this  coast.  That  this  is 
not  a  mere  fancy  is  shown  i)y  the  following  facts  : 

Mr.  Licber,  the  geologist  of  the  U.  S.  Coast  Survey 
Eclipse  expedition  of  i860,  which  went  near  Cape  Chid- 
ley,  the  point  we  hoped  to  reach,  speaks  of  walking  over 
a  siiow-bank  on  the  Hanks  of  Mt.  Bache,  which  "  was  a 
miniature  glacier,"  while  "a  regular  moraine  was  piled 
up  along  its  edges."  Captain  Handy  told  me  that  on 
Savage  Island,  just  north  of  Hudson's  Strait,  he  saw  in 
August  ravines  full  of  ice;  and  on  Button  Island  as 
late  as  September  20  he  found  snow  in  the  ravines.  He 
called  them  glaciers,  one  patch  of  snow  being  five  hun- 
dred feet  long  and  two  hundred  feet  broad.  On  Reso- 
lution Island,  only  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  north 
of  Cape  Chidley,  he  saw  glaciers  extending  into  the  wa- 
ter, from  which  small  icebergs  fell  into  the  sea ;  and 
Captain  Hall  describes  the  Grinnell  glacier  on  Meta 
Incognita,  which  was  two  miles  long,  and  discharged 
icebergs  into  the  sea. 

The  next  day  the  wind  was  against  us,  being  north 
and  very  light.  The  day  was  warm  and  pleasant,  but 
towards  sundown  cloudy,  and  as  usual,  as  soon  as  the  sun 
goes  down  it  becomes  cold  and  chilly.  Though  the  floe- 
ice  had  now  disappeared,  a  large  number  of  bergs  were 
to  be  seen  outside  slowly  travelling  down  the  coast, 
some  of  the  smaller  ones  stranded  a  few  miles  from  the 
shore.  After  this  date,  and  beyond  Cape  Webuc,  we 
were   not   troubled   by  the  floe-ice ;  for  weeks  we   had 


TKANSI'OKTATiON    •  )K    HOWLDKUS    BY    ILOK-ICK. 


"73 


watched  the  pro^^ress  south  of  this  enormous  c\p;insc  of 
floatino^  ice,  the  stream  beinj^  not  less  than  a  tliousand 
miles  lon<»  and  over  a  hundred  miles  in  hreadth,  more 
or  less  interruptea,  of  course,  by  "  leads  "  and  open  water. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  in  former  years  the  "  tloat- 
injj-ice  "  t'^eory  prevailed,  p^eologists almost  universally  be- 
lievin<j  that  the  polishin<>"  and  ij^roovingof  the  roeUs  and 
distribution  of  drift  or  diluvium  were  produced  by  lloe-icc 
passing  over  the  submertjed  land.  This  theory  has  been 
almost  wholly  abandoned,  thouii^h  south  of  the  edije  of 
the  great  continental  fjlacier  tloatin<r-ice  may  have  trans- 
ported morainal  material  southward  and  dropped  it  ovei 
the  Middle  and  Southern  Stales,  it  was  therefore  with 
much  interest  that  I  watched  day  after  day  the  effects 
upon  the  coast  of  such  a  mass  of  ice  as  beset  us  for  a 
period  of  nearly  a  month  in  summer.  This  immense 
body  of  floating-ice,  as  we  have  elsewhere  stated,*  seemed 
directly  to  produce  but  little  alteration  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  rocks  on  the  coast ;  in  fact,  the  only  imme- 
diate effects  of  waves  and  shore-ice  action  were  observed 
in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  at  Little  Mecatina  Island, 
where  there  is  no  true  arctic  floe-ice.  At  Domino  Har- 
bor, as  well  as  the  harbor  we  were  now  in,  the  rocks 
had  been  disrupted,  and  the  land  descended  in  rock- 
terraces  to  the  water's  edge,  and  to  a  point  at  least  two 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  below  it.  This  singular  appearance 
I  attributed  to  the  action  of  the  ice-fort,  or  winter-ice. 
which  has  been  well  described  by  Dr.  Kane.  Now 
why  should  not  the  floe-ice  while  in  motion  along 
the  shore  have  ground  down  the  jagged    and   angular 


*  Observations  on  the  Glacial  Phenomena  of  Labrador  anj  Maine,  Memoirs 
of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  i,  pt.  ii.     Boston,  1867. 


m 


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174 


A    SUMMKKS   CRUISE   TO    NORTHERN    LABUADOR. 


points  presented  to  the  ice-eurrcnt  ?  If  our  slightly- 
huilt  vessel  could  navij^ale  these  ice-laden  waters,  lie 
in  harbors  filled  with  ice,  and  not  even  have  the  paint 
worn  ofT  her  hull,  how  cotdd  she  have  escaped  the  least 
of  all  the  tremendous  effects  which  are  by  some  theorists 
attributed  to  floatinjx  ice?  Moreover,  no  bowlders  or 
gravel  or  mud  were  seen  upon  any  of  the  cakes  of  lloe- 
ice,  nor  on  any  of  the  bergs,  many  of  which  were  llat- 
topped,  like  ordinary  cakes  of  lloe  -  ice.  If  they  had 
been  thus  laden,  they  had  dropped  all  burdens  of  'his 
nature  nearer  their  birthplace  in  Davis  Strait,  or  the  re- 
gions farther  north.  The  icebergs  in  nearly  every  case, 
when  closely  observed,  bore  evidence  of  having  been  re- 
peatedly overturned  as  they  were  borne  along  in  the  cur- 
rent, often  with  old  water-lines  presenting  different  an- 
gles to  the  present  water-level.  The  floe-ice  was  hum- 
mocky,  which  is  a  strong  proof  of  its  having  come  from 
open  straits  in  the  polar  regions,  the  cakes  looking  as  if 
they  had  been  frozen  and  refrozen,  jammed  together, 
and  then  piled  atop  of  each  other  by  currents  and  storms 
long  before  their  advent  upon  this  coast.  The  only  dis- 
coloration noticed  was  probably  caused  by  seals  resting 
upon  and  soiling  the  surface.  It  should  however  be 
mentioned  that  one  bowlder  was  said  to  have  been  seen 
by  a  member  of  our  party  upon  an  iceberg  off  Cape 
Webuc. 

Finally,  as  we  shall  see  farther  on,  the  few  ice-marks 
and  grooves  detected  by  myself  and  others  on  the  Lab- 
rador coast  show  plainly  that  the  country  was  once  cov- 
ered by  land-ice,  that  it  filled  the  bays  and  fjords,  and 
moved  into  the  sea  at  right  angles  to  the  course  of  the 
Labrador   current,  which    flows   parallel    to   the   shore 


GLACIAL    MARKS. 


•75 


north  of  Belle  Isle.  Moreover,  we  would  impress  upon 
the  mind  of  any  lin<»erino  believer  in  the  sole  njieney  of 
floatiii<4-ice,  that  the  surface  of  Greenland  is  covered  with 
a  j^lacier  or  rather  a  mcr-de-olacc,  from  which  ice-streams 
press  throniih  the  fjord  into  the  sea,  and  that  there  are 
innumerable  j^laciers  on  the  land-masses  throufihout  the 
Arctic  Ocean  west  of  the  Labrador  peninsula,  which  are 
constantly  <»rindin<]^  down,  polishinii.  ;>ii<l  grooving  their 
rocky  beds.  'Iheir  work  is  |)erennial  :  that  of  the  floe- 
ice  is  conhned  to  the  rocks  at  the  shore  of  the  sea,  and 
there  it  virtually  ends;  the  after  effects  of  the  lloating- 
ice  beinii  so  inconsiderable  as  not  to  rise  to  the  dignity 
of  a  geological  agency. 

And  so  there  was  a  ceaseless  charm  and  interest  in 
the  problems  in  geology,  physical  geography,  and  biology 
which  suggested  themselves  to  us,  whether  clambering 
over  the  hill-tops,  shuffling  over  the  shingly  pebbly 
beaches,  now  raised  hundreds  of  feet  above  the  sea,  or 
chasing  the  arctic  butterllies  and  moths,  or  dredging 
polar  starpoles  and  the  innumerable  marine  forms  peo- 
pling these  waters. 

Life  was  monotonous  enough  to  the  others,  as  they 
felt  bitterly  disappointed  at  their  failure  to  reach  the 
higher  Moravian  stations  and  the  promised  headland  of 
Chidley,  from  which  we  could  look  over  Hudson's  Strait 
and  the  waters  of  the  Gieenland  seas ;  but  so  far  as  I 
was  concerned,  the  opportunity  to  study  the  glacial 
marks,  the  raised  beaches,  the  insects,  and  othe?  life- 
forms,  were  so  many  crumbs  of  comfort  to  offset  the 
general  feeling  of  disappointment.  It  would  be  next  to 
impossible  to  properly  explore  this  coast  in  a  single  sea- 
son without  a  steamer  and  small  steam  launches  for  work 


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in  the  bays  and  fjords;  thus  independent  of  wind  and 
ice,  one  could  run  outside  and  do  in  good  weather  deep- 
sea  dredging,  scrape  the  bottoms  of  the  shallower  bays 
and  reaches,  measure  the  raised  beaches,  geologize,  botan- 
ize, and  entomologize.  and  reach  the  better  breeding- 
haunts  of  the  water-fowl,  and  do  something  toward  col- 
lecting the  nests  and  eggs  of  land-birds.  A  well- 
ecjuipped  party  in  a  steamer  could,  in  four  months  spent 
on  this  coast,  add  vastly  to  what,  on  the  whole,  is  perhaps 
the  least-known  portion  of  northern  America.  With 
the  ample  knowledge  of  polar  life  and  nature  we  now 
|)()ssess  as  a  basis  of  comparison,  here  is  a  most  interest- 
ing field  of  exploration  for  our  rising  naturalists;  it 
would  at  all  events  be  an  excellent  training-school  in 
physical  geology  and  biology. 

This  day  was  entirely  devoted  to  insect-hunting,  and 
I  found  myself  in  a  new  world  so  far  as  the  insect  fauna 
was  concerned,  many  truly  polar  r7>ecies  abounding. 
The  spiders  were  thoroughly  arctic,  dark,  dull  -  colored 
creatures,  occasionally  venturing  out  from  their  retreats 
under  the  growth  of  curlew  berry,  or  under  stones  ;  sim- 
ilar forms  afterwards  occurred  to  me  in  just  such  places 
on  the  summit  of  Mt.  Washington,  on  Gray's  and 
Pike's  Peaks,  showing  that  the  Alpine  summits  of  our 
mountains  are  but  outliers,  aerial  islands,  so  to  speak, 
detached  zoogeographicallv  from  the  frozen  regions  of 
the  north. 

On  a  steep,  southerly  exposure  of  the  harbor,  where  a 
long  glacis  sloped  toward  an  angular  precipice,  which 
overhung  patches  of  vegetation,  between  the  worn  and 
polished  naked  rocks  of  the  shore,  we  started  up  a  few 
butterflies  and  moths.     To  my  genuine  surprise  and  de- 


-*.~- 


ARCTIC    MOTHS    AND    RIRCIIKS. 


177 


light,  there  fluttered,  half  skipping  and  half-Hying,  over 
the  lichened  bowlders  a  butterfly  I  had  never  before 
seen,  the  high  arctic  bluet,  (^Polyommatus  fniiik/ini't), 
heretofore  only  known  to  occur  in  the  arctic  world,  and 
discovered  by  the  naturalist  of  Franklin's  voyage.  I 
also  netted  an  Argynnis,  not  hitherto  discovered  so  far 
south  ;  it  was  likewise  a  polar  form. 

The  moths  were  all  arctic  species,  and  when  at  rest 
so  harmonized  in  color  with  the  lichens  and  other  vege- 
tation in  which  they  nestled  as  to  entirely  deceive  me. 
And  yet  what  was  the  use  of  practising,  even  uncon- 
sciously to  themselves,  this  deception  ?  The  answer  was 
not  far  off — there  was  a  shore-lark,  or  some  such  bird, 
flitting  about  and  running  over  the  rocks,  busily  search- 
ing for  just  such  moths  as  these,  and  the  only  hope  of 
safety  for  the  insects  from  their  sharp  eyes  was  in  their 
resemblance  to  the  lichens. 

The  only  tree  seen  here  was  the  dwarf  birch.  Bcttiia 
nana;  those  who  have  seen  this  Lilliputian  tree  on  the 
summit  of  Mt.  Washington  will  well  remember  its 
humble  stature  and  little  round  leaves.  No  tree  per- 
haps ever  underwent  greater  modification  by  climate 
than  did  the  ancestor  of  this  species,  and  we  cannot  well 
doubt  but  that  all  these  dwarf  arctic  trees  and  shrubs,  so 
closely  allied  to  their  congeners  in  the  north  temperate 
zone,  only  escaped  utter  extinction  by  adapting  them- 
slvees  to  the  extremes  of  their  arctic  surroundings.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  the  oak,  gum,  and  tulip  tree, 
the  sassafras  and  maple,  the  cypress  and  sequoia,  once 
flourished  in  what  is  now  Greenland  in  growths  as  luxu- 
riant as  the  forests  of  the  Gulf  States.  When  the  ice- 
period  was  ushered   in,  and  climate  and  other  circum- 


I 


! 


178 


A    SIMMKUS   CKUISK   TO   XOKTIIKRN    LAHRADOR. 


If    ' 


I 


1^     1 


V      1 

■.;«!■ 


•iul 


1 

t 

^^<^| 

I. 

r 

a 

'« 

[ 

t'. 

r> 

v 

r 


stances  clianijcd  the  inhabitants  of  that  tertiary  [)ohir 
hind,  of  which  Greenland  and  Sj)itzi)cro[en  are  the  rem- 
nants, tliey  were  either  entirely  effaced,  or  enii<»rated 
southward,  becoming  the  ancestors  of  our  American 
plants  and  animals,  or,  as  in  the  case  of  a  few  forms, 
maintained  their  ground  but  changed  into  the  present 
arctic  animals  and  })lants. 

The  afternoon  was  spent  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
harbor,  where  there  is  an  ancient  sea-beach  at  least  two 
hundred  feet  high,  with  four  terraces,  well  defined  by 
the  windrows  of  pebbles  left  by  the  retreating  waves — 
how  many  thousand  years  ago,  a  wise  man  would  hardly 
dare  to  guess.  On  the  two  lower  terraces  the  willows 
grew  in  irregular  rounded  j)atches ;  there  were  two  spe- 
cies, one  growing  to  a  foot  in  height,  their  tops  of  the 
same  length,  as  if  clipped  off  with  scissors ;  the  other 
species  was  still  more  prone,  creeping  low  in  the  rein- 
deer moss  and  curlew-berry,  or  spreading  vine-like  over 
the  rocks.  Their  catkins  were  being  investigated  by 
bumble-bees  of  two  kinds,  one  or  both  truly  polar. 

During  the  20th  a  cold  northeast  wind  blew  ;  the  har- 
bor was  open  to  the  wind  and  sea.  so  that  our  vessel  was 
pitching  through  the  livelong  day,  making  everybody's 
headache,  and  sending  nearly  all  to  their  bunks  to  sleep 
through  the  discomfort.  No  ice,  however,  was  brought 
in  by  the  wind,  which  showed  that  the  coast  was  clear 
whenever  the  wind  should  be  fair.  The  icebergs,  how- 
ever, are  seen  marching  ceaselessly  down  the  coast  at  a 
distance  of  ten  or  fifteen  miles  out  at  sea. 

The  wind  and  swell  did  not  prevent  the  fishermen 
from  seining  for  capelin,  so  essential  as  bait  in  fish- 
ing for   cod.     When  the  seine   is  hauled  the  fish  are 


lOl)    AND    <  Al'Kl.lN. 


'79 


l)aik'il  oiiL  with  scoop-nets.  At  siicli  times  these  active 
little  fish  throw  oil"  from  their  juleaminu  sides  all  the 
colors  of  the  rainbow.  The  cotl  were  seen  through 
the  transparent  water  hoverinjj;^  about  the  outskirts  of 
the  school,  snapping"  at  any  which  became  separated 
from  their  felk)ws,  and  following  them  so  near  the  boats 
that  the  men  would  drive  them  away  with  their  boat- 
hooks.  After  capturing  one  school,  they  would  row 
about  near  shore  on  th<'  watch  for  another.  'I'he  seine- 
boats  diller  from  others  in  being  narrow  ami  long,  from 
twenty-live  to  twenty-seven  feet  in  length. 

We  here  saw  specimens  of  a  variety  of  c(kI,  called 
"  duffy,"  which  may  be  the  same  as  Professor  Wyman's 
"  bull-dog  cod."  Its  head  is  blunter,  the  under-jaw  is 
shorter,  while  the  fish  is  darker  than  ordinary  cod  ;  the 
fishermen  pronounce  them  "  no  good  ;"  it  is  possible 
that  such  as  are  taken  are  simply  deformed  individuals 
of  the  common  species.  We  found,  however,  that  at 
Hopedale  these  fish  were  comparatively  common,  and 
taken  with  the  gig  by  the  Eskimo. 

We  left  Sloop  Harbor  early  in  the  morning  of  the 
2ist  with  a  light  easterly  breeze,  but  we  made  only  fiv^e 
or  six  miles,  j)laying  about  the  icebergs  nearly  half  the 
day.  The  gigantic  steps  or  terraces  carved  by  the  shore- 
ice  out  of  the  lofty  rocky  shore  of  the  islands  about 
here  were  very  remarkable,  especially  when  we  saw 
them  in  sections.  We  counted  some  thirty  bergs  to- 
day. While  Mr.  Bradford  was  industriously  painting 
them,  a  party  of  us  went  in  a  boat  to  Tinker  Island,, 
a  lofty  rock  far  out  to  sea,  its  sides  sheer  precipices, 
whose  bases  were  washed  by  the  ceaseless  Atlantic 
swell ;    a  yawning  chasm  nearly  divides  the  island  in 


i  ■  ■! 


t- 


II 


;!  i 


two,  and  by  entering  the  fissure  we  eould  effect  a  land- 
ing, and  climb  up  to  the  heights  above.  The  rock  and 
all  its  belongings,  with  the  sea-fowls  tlying  about  or  sit- 
ting by  thousands  on  the  projecting  shelves,  reminded 
us  of  the  pictures,  so  familiar  in  childhood,  of  similar 
scenes  in  the  Orkney  and  Shetland  Islands.  The 
tinkers  and  murres  breeding  here  were  in  immense 
numbers,  the  females  on  the  rock  shelves,  and  their  con- 
sorts resting  on  the  waves,  or  Hying  overhead  to  the 
leeward.     This  island    was  situated  several  miles  from 


TINKKll   ISI.ANli,    IJICAUI.NC,  TWO  TO    rHKI'.K  MIl.KS  WKST. 

land,  remote  from  other  islands,  and  consisted  of  a  hard, 
coarse-grained  granite,  the  feldspar  predominating  and 
of  two  kinds — one  flesh-colored  orthoclase,  the  other 
smoky  labradoritc  ;  it  was  weathered  into  regular  steps 
and  shelves,  and  huge  blocks  had  been  detached  by  the 
frost,  the  angles  having  been  rounded  by  the  weather  ; 
near  the  water's  edge  the  waves  had  worn  it  into  smooth 
declivities.  The  east  wind  blew  chill  from  the  direction 
of  the  ice-pack,  which  could  be  seen  a  few  miles  off  en- 
closing a  number  of  large  bergs.  The  pools  of  water 
on  the  higher  portions  of  the  island  were  inhabited  by 
case-worms,  and  it  was  evident,  by  the  feathers  at  the 
bottom, that  the  murres  used  them  as  wash-basins.  In  a 
deep,  narrow  chink  between  the  rocks  I  found  a  murre's 
Ggg,  while  the  tunnels  made  by  the  puffins  wound 
through  the  scanty  soil.  I  started  up  a  blue  fox,  which 
was  running  toward  me  with  a  murre's  egg  in  his  mouth  ; 


CAFK    WEHUC. 


I8l 


on  my  throwing  a  stone  at  him  lie  dropped  his  egg  and 
scampered  off.  I  hallooed  for  nearly  ten  minutes  for 
some  one  with  a  gun  to  come  and  shoot  him,  and  kept 
him  in  sight ;  with  more  of  curiosity  than  fear  he  would 
stop  at  intervals  to  look  at  me,  keeping  a  safe  distance 
off  and  harking,  until  he  disappeared.  Soon  Mr.  Was- 
son  came  up ;  we  pursued  finding  him  on  the  other  side 
of  the  island  with  another  e^cr  in  his  mouth.  Mr.  Was- 
son  gave  him  his  death-wound,  though  he  ran  some 
distance  with  the  egg  between  his  teetii  before  he 
dropped  dead.  His  Hanks  and  bcUv  were  white,  the 
rest  of  a  slate-blue  color,  his  legs  very  long,  and  tail  long 
though  not  very  bushy  ;  the  more  remarkable  features 
were  his  short,  rounded  ears,  as  if  cropped.  Mr.  Wasson 
also  shot  a  Labradorian  falcon,  which  Professor  Baird 
afterward  wrote  him  he  thought  might  be  an  immature 
stage  of  Faico  candicans.  On  this  exposed  spot  the 
cloud-berry  had  nearly  done  flowering  ;  the  cochlearia, 
growing  from  two  to  six  inches  high,  was  in  bloom, 
while  a  pretty,  gentian-like  flower  was  found  here  which 
was  not  observed  elsewhere. 

We  laid  to  all  the  short  night,  as  Mr.  Bradford  wanted 
to  paint  icebergs,  getting  up  at  three  the  next  morning 
to  secure  some  noble  ones.  Then  we  soon  ran  down 
and  doubled  Cape  Webuc  or  Harrison,  which  is  a  lofty 
gneiss  headland,  faced  with  syenite,  its  northern  face 
seamed  with  vertical  trap  dykes  with  an  N.E.  and  S.VV. 
direction.  Ragged  Island  now  bears  N.N.W..  and, 
as  its  name  implies,  is  exceedingly  rough  and  jagged, 
and  evidently  composed  of  syenite,  as  are  nearly  all 
these  headlands,  being  probably  outflows  of  crystalline 
rocks  capping  the   Laurentian  gneiss.     We  next  came 


ii 


iSj 


A    SL.MMKIO    CRIJISK    K)    NOKTlltRN    I.AliKADOR. 


M(. 


in  siLclit  of  liijrli  roiiiKlfd  nunintaiiis  near  (In;  shore, 
which  appear  to  1)C  not  less  than  Iwelve  huiulred  feet 
lii^ii  ;  far  hack  of  tlieni  were  several  peaks,  which  rose 
ahove  a  mass  of  clouds  j)artiy  enveloping  them,  and 
seemed  to  rise  five  or  six  thousand  feet  into  the  heavens. 
The  highest   j)eak   is   Mt.    Misery,  and   Ca|)tain  iMtiich 


MIKNI      Ml>l  kV,    ciK 


.\i.i..\i;.\i(;.\i.   2,r7()  ii;i.r,   in  i,    \v.  ok  c.M'K   iiakkison    iiy 

tllAKI. 


says  that  in  clear  weather  the  group  seems  vj'ry  near 
when  viewed  from  the  southern  sitie  of  Hamilton  Inlet. 
I  do  not  doubt  hut  that  this  peak,  which  was  obscured  by 
clouds  for  two  days  after,  was  not  less  than  two  thou- 
sand feet  hi<^h.*  The  view  of  this  mountain,  so  trans- 
formed by  the  clouds  hovering  just  below  its  peak,  was 
the  grandest  coast  view  of  the  voyage. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  day  we  ran  into  Stag  Bay, 
some  twenty  miles  north  of  Cape  Harrison,  after  a  pilot. 
Dredging  in  this  harbor  at  the  depth  of  ten  fiUhoms  was 
not  very  fruitful,  except  in  some  fine  varieties  or  species 
of  the  very  variable  genus,  Astarte,  including  A.  banks ii 
and  A.  co^nprcssa,  and  a  Gammarus  new  to  me.  The 
harbors  on  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Labrador  have  rather 
barren  rocky  bottoms ;  sea-weeds  are  scanty,  the  shores 
are  so  steep;  and  there  are  so  few  large  streams  emptying 
into  the  bays,  that  no  sediments  are  carried  down  from 
the  land  to  form  muddy  or  sandy  bottoms.  If  the 
floating-ice  theory  were  true,  we  should  have  expected 

*  My  guess  I  found  to  be  a  good  one,  as  I  find  Mt.  Misery  is  put  down  in  the 
chart  under  the  name  of  AUagaivaivik,  with  a  height  of  2,170  feet. 


-r. 


sii(»ki;-r<ii,i,i;(  TiN(.. 


I  S3 


I 


lo  lincl  plcnly  <>1  si'diinciUs  home  from  ilu-  polar  seas: 
hence  the  ahsencc  of  such  suhinarine  (lej)()sits  in  lliese 
protected  harhors,  as  well  as  out  to  sia,  so  far  as  we 
could  learn, — which,  however,  are  choked  with  ice  during 
June  and  July,  is  a  si.nnilicanl  fact.  When  we  lay  out- 
side we  were  never  hecalmed,  or  saw  the  time  when  we 
could  Lic't  a  chance  to  dredge  over  the  vessel's  side: 
and  as  we  have  already  said,  such  work  can  only  he 
thorou<;hly  done  by  a  well-e(|uipped  steamer. 

Since  leaving  thi*  Slrail  of  lielle  Isle  ther(*  has  been 
little  chance  of  collecinirr  the  littoral  species;  indeed, 
that  broad  stretch  of  shore  and  tlats  between  hi^h  and 
low  water  mark,  w'  .h  is  so  characteristic  of  the  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  En^lan*'  sliores.  is  here  well-ni^h  abol- 
ished ;  the  tides  rise  n-id  tall  not  much  over  four,  or  at 
the  most  five  or  six  feet,  while  the  rocks  pi unsje  directly 
into  the  sea,  and  there  is  only  a  narrow  border  of  fucus 
han^rin^r  sparsely  from  the  rocks,  between  tide-marks, 
with  little  life, — indeed,  the  only  sj)ecies  I  noticed  be- 
in^  the  common  shore-snail,  Littorina  rndis,  and  the 
little  amphipod  crustacean,  GtDnniarus  vmtattis.  The 
same  poverty  of  littoral  animals  obtains  on  the  Green- 
land shores,  and  it  may  be  thus  readily  understood  why 
the  starving  members  of  the  Greeley  party  could  find 
nothing  to  eat  along  shore  but  scattered  sea-weed  and 
"  shrimps,"  the  latter  undoubtedly  the  Gammarus  nuita- 
tus,  which  is  common  on  the  shores  of  the  polar  seas. 
The  best  spots  to  dredge  are  the  patches  of  shelly  bot- 
toms situated  in  eddies  at  the  inner  end  of  a  **  tickle  " 
leading  out  from  a  deep  harbor,  where  the  tides  and 
currents  have  no  power ;  for  where  the  dead  shells  are 
gathered,  the  living  ones  are  mixed  with  tiiem. 


^^! 


!i' 


'X    i' 


i84      A  summer's  cruise  to  northern  Labrador. 


! 
1 

I 

r 

1- 
1 

^ 

.; 

;|      ^ 

1 

1 

The  vN'hole  of  the  23d,  which  was  cloudy  and  raiiiy^ 
was  sjicnt  in  search  of  a  pilot  for  Hopedale.  A  boat's 
crew,  myself  included,  rowed  some  seven  or  ei^^ht  miles 
to  Roger's  Harbor,  where  in  a  quiet  basin  connected 
with  the  sea  by  two  narrow  "tickles,"  were  about  fif- 
teen v^essels — schooners  and  barks.  We  went  aboard 
one,  and  it  was  indescribably  filthy,  above  and  below  ; 
from  the  cabin  arose  a  dreadful  stench  ;  the  women 
aboard,  with  one  exception,  harmonized  in  point  of  per- 
sonal apj)earancc  with  their  surroundings.  We  asked 
for  a  little  saleratus,  and  were  kindly  given  some  made 
from  the  spruce. 

This  island  is  of  syenite,  its  feldspar  tlcsh-colored,  and 
the  shore  is  in  its  scenic  features  like  that  of  the  rocks  at 
Nahant  or  Mt.  Desert,  with  a  few  small  beaches,  the 
slopes  leading  down  to  them  of  an  intense  green.  The 
cod  had  not  yet  "  put  in."  Last  year  on  the  26th  they 
took  a  hundred  quintals  the  first  day  they  appeared. 
The  fishermen  talk  discouragingly  of  thi^  year's  pros- 
pects, and  seem  to  be  pushing  "  up  to  the  nor'ard " 
more  rapidly  than  usual.  In  fact,  for  three  years  New- 
foundland fishermen  have  gone  for  fish  beyond  the 
Moravian  settlement  of  Nain.  Add  to  the  lack  of  cod- 
fish, the  failure  of  the  spring's  "  swile,"  "  sile,"  or  seal 
fishery,  and  they  were  doomed  to  fare  pretty  hard  that 
winter. 

We  found  we  had  not  gone  far  enough  to  find  Tom 
Bloomfield,*  the  man  we  were  in  search  of,  but  were 
near  the  house  of  Cole,  a  half-breed;  part  Englishman 
and  part  Eskimo,  with  an   Eskimo  wife  and  half-breed 

*  See  21  on  the  map  of  Eskimo  Bay.     Cole's  house  is  22. 


EXTINCTION   OF  THE   ESKIMO. 


185 


^ 


lli!     1 


children.  The  captain  rowed  over,  and  by  tiie  merest 
good  luck  found  younc^  Cole,  who  agreed  to  pilot  our 
vessel  up  to  Strawberry  Harbor,  twenty-five  miles  dis- 
tant, where  there  were  said  to  be  two  Eskimos  who 
would  be  glad  to  show  us  the  way  from  there  to  Hoj)e- 
dale,  since  they  were  desirous  of  going  there,  but  had 
no  boat,  and  would  otherwise  have  to  wait  until  the 
autumn. 

Never  shall  I  forget  the  grandeur,  the  utter  desolation, 
and  the  purple  glories  of  the  sky  and  shore  as  we  rowed 
back  that  evening  down  Stag  Bay,  which  is  a  wide 
sound,  bordered  with  lofty  terraced  hills,  the  last  rays  of 
the  setting  sun  lighting  up  the  heights  of  the  Webuc 
Range,  as  we  may  term  it,  uj)  whose  slopes  gradually 
rose  the  purplish  tints  ushering  in  the  darker  shades  of 
the  twilight. 

Youncj  Cole  came  aboard  the  vessel  in  the  eveninjj 
after  we  had  returned,  in  a  large  jack,  which  was  decked 
over ;  it  had  a  small  punt  on  it,  beside  his  wife  and 
child,  upon  whom  he  depends  to  help  him  row  back 
should  we  be  fortunate  enough  to  reach  Strawberry 
Harbor  by  noon. 

It  seems  that  there  were  formerly  a  few  Eskimos 
living  in  this  region,  but  they  have  died  off  rapidly 
within  a  few  years  past.  They  had  gone  with  the  eiders, 
the  geese,  and  the  sea-fowl,  the  walrus  and  the  fish  ; 
their  game  and  their  race  had  been  banished,  like  them, 
to  the  arctic  regions.  Our  pilot,  Captain  French,  said 
that  there  was  now  but  one  Eskimo  where  there  used  to 
be  twenty.  Their  disappearance  here  seems  due  partly 
to  natural  causes,  to  the  absence  of  abundant  game  and 
birds,  and   partly  to  contact  with  the  civilization  of  this 


t.li 


I  1 


'*  1 


.:J 


I  I 


\m 


1 86 


A    SU.M.MllKS   CKUISK    1 0    NUKTIIIiKN    LAliRADoR. 


coast,  unless  tlicir  close  winter  houses  induce  clu'st 
troubles  :  any  other  diseases  are  unknown.  But  what- 
ever may  have  been  the  cause,  they  arc  rapidly  melting 
away,  disappearino^  by  entire  families.  They  have  prob- 
ably faded  away  before  the  Nascopi  Indians,  who  are 
belter  armed,  and  their  permanence  at  Hopedale  and 
northward  may  be  due  to  the  absence  of  the  red  Indians 
from  that  part  of  the  coast.  But  the  Innuit  or  Eskimo  is 
a  doomed  race.  Whether  they  are  the  remnants  of  the 
pakcolithic  race  (which  good  authorities  doubt)  and  for- 
merly ranged  over  northern  Europe  during  the  earlier 
stone  age,  and  extended  in  America  as  far  south  as  the 
border  of  the  great  continential  glaciers,  and  were  a  few 
centuries  ago  driven  northward  by  the  red  Indians,  is  a 
problem  ;  but  probably  long  before  the  red  man  entirely 
disappears,  the  Eskimo  will  be  represented  by  but  a  few 
thousands  in  the  hicfh  northern  regions. 

Cole  was  not  much  inclined  to  leave  home,  as  the 
salmon  were  just  about  striking  in  ;  and,  as  he  said,  they 
only  remained  three  or  four  days,  and  he  might  lose 
them,  since  only  his  father,  who,  as  we  understood,  also 
had  an  Eskimo  wife,  would  have  to  attend  to  the  nets 
single,  or  rather — as  his  better  Eskimo  half  would  work 
man-fashion  with  him — double-handed. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  stream  where  they  lived  were 
several  huts  tenanted  by  salmon  fishers.  About  them 
lounged  a  number  of  full-blooded  Eskimo  dogs,  which 
are  quite  superfluous  in  summer,  but  useful  in  winter, 
when  they  can  draw  sledges  at  the  rate  of  a  hundred 
miles  a  day  should  the  travelling  be  good. 

Th'e  early  morning  of  the  24th  of  July  found  us  with 
our  pilot  aboard  ready  to  start  for  Strawberry  Harbor ;  but 


th 

lUt 


<;a.mi;. 


IS; 


there  was  a  dead  calm.  However,  at  about  lo  o'clock  a 
north  wind  sjirang  up,  so  that  we  j)ut  to  sea  and  sailed 
until  within  eioht  miles  of  St rawheirv  Harbor,  when  it 
blew  hard  and  became  too  thick  to  run  fartlu^r ;  so  we 
put  back  three  miles  and  ran  under  a  lee-shore,  where 
the  northeast  wind  blew  a  cold,  fierce  gale,  with  fog  and 
rain.  (Jur  vessel  dragged  her  anchor,  which  was  down 
at  a  depth  of  twenty  fathoms,  so  that  the  larger  one  was 
dropped  down,  making  ninety  fath(;ms  of  cable  to  iiaul 
in  on  the  morrow. 

Our  pilot  was  a  very  intelligent  half-breed  who  could 
read  and  write,  his  wife  als(j  a  half-breed  Eskimo.  He 
said  that  the  ice  had  only  cleared  off  the  previous  week, 
and  up  to  that  time  since  March  they  have  steadily  had 
in  Stag  Bay  cold  easterly  and  northeasterly  winds.  Near 
where  we  anchored  was  Cole's  brother,  who  had  built 
himself  a  new  house.  Yesterday  he  took  six  and  to-dav 
eight  salmon  in  his  nets,  which  were  stretched  across  the 
mouth  of  a  little  brook.  He  shot  eleve..  deer  during 
the  winter,  one  of  them  sufficient  to  supply  the  family 
with  food  for  two  weeks.  They  had  plenty  of  deer  and 
other  game  when  too  late  in  the  season  for  obtaining 
fur ;  he  predicted  an  abundant  supply  of  game  during  the 


commg  autumn. 


We  will  give  his  statement  regarding 


the  varieties  of  foxes  here,  which  may  be  taken  for  what 
it  is  worth.  There  are  {<  ur  varieties  of  foxes  which  he 
said  crossed  among  themselves,  i.e.,  the  red  and  white, 
which  are  the  two  most  common  ones  ;  then  the  patch 
fox,  which  is  blue  with  red  on  the  rump,  and  the  black 
fox.  Whether  the  red  and  white  or  arctic  fox  interbreed 
we  do  not  know  ;  the  blue  fox  is  undoubtedly  the  white 
fox  in  its  summer  pelage  ;  the  short  ears  and  long  tail 


',- 

?=l 

m 

1 ' 

i, 

■ 

1 

t 

i ' 

■'  I 

■  ,'  ". 

1 

i88 


A   SUMMKRS   CRUISK   TO    NORTIIEKN    LAHKADOK. 


sufficiently  distinguisli  the  arctic  fox  and  its  varieties 
from  the  red  or  Virc^inian  species.  They  had  never 
seen  tlie  walrus  about  here.  The  spruce-trees  up  in  the 
interior  are  quite  larire,  Cole  said,  some  of  them  reaching 
a  diameter  of  thirty  inches  at  the  butt ;  but  the  birches 
are  small,  none  large  enough  to  make  canoes. 

Of  the  red  Indians  of  the  interior  but  little  could  be 
learned.  The  reader  will  find  the  best  account  of  them 
in  Hind's  Labrador,  while  the  subjoined  extract  will 
convey  some  idea  of  the  Labrador  Indians  as  they  were.* 


U        I 


*  "  As  for  the  interior  parts  of  the  Lahroiiore,  it  is  wholy  occupied  by  the 
northern  Indians  before  taken  notice  of,  who  live  and  depend  mostly  on  fish 
and  deers  flesii ;  woolves,  foxes  and  otters,  affords  cloaihinij;  and  as  these  are 
to  be  had  by  traps,  and  K""s,  and  other  contrivances,  their  necessities  nor 
ambition  (hint  promjit  them  to  desive  many  things  from  us:  our  twine,  fish- 
hooks, ice  chizxels,  ketles,  and  stnall  wares,  make  up  the  ultimate  of  their  wants. 
As  for  guns,  powder,  and  sholt,  their  are  numbers  of  them  don't  know  their  use. 
The  moulted  fowls  at  proper  seasons,  and  what  else  may  be  had  with  the  bow 
and  arrow,  procure  enough  for  change  of  dyett,  who  live  in  great  plenty  other- 
wise, do  reduce  tiiese  peoples  wains  into  a  narrow  compass. 

"  The  skirts  and  boniers  of  Labrotlore  are  hilly  and  mountainous  on  every 
side  (a  small  part  excepted);  but  the  interior  parts  is  covered  with  lakes  and 
morassis  to  a  wide  extent,  which  affords  an  easy  communication  into  all  our 
principal  rivers;  but  as  above,  these  people  have  their  food  and  rayment  on  so 
easy  terms,  that  hardly  one  in  twenty  have  ever  taken  the  trouble  to  go  to  ours, 
or  any  of  the  French  setlements.  Indolence  and  idleness  has  a  good  share  in 
this  indifference:  but  surely  lis  a  mark  of  great  wisdom  in  them. 

"  However,  those  few  that  has  frequented  the  setlements,  begin  to  like  our 
commodities  better;  their  women  like  our  nicknacks  and  guegaws,  and  the  men 
begin  to  love  brandy,  bread,  and  tobacco,  so  that  a  little  address  and  manage- 
ment will  bring  these  happy  drones  out  of  this  profound  lethargy.  You'll  say 
these  people  would,  froin  their  manner  of  life,  have  incressed  faster  than  the 
other  Indians;  but  the  reason  I  gave  before  has,  in  some  measure,  prevented 
them;  and  now  it  will  be  a  good  motive  to  apply  themselves  in  earnest  to  the 
use  and  defence  of  the  gun,  who,  by  the  aid  and  convenience  of  our  setlement 
at  Richmond  Fort,  will  be  enabled  to  keep  in  a  body,  and  repell  force  by  force, 
without  being  divided,  or  under  a  necessity  to  travell  a  great  distance  from 
tl.eir  familys,  by  having  all  those  things  brought  to  their  own  doors. 

"  All  the  hilly  and  mountainous  parts  of  Labrodore  are  occupied  by  the 
Usquemews,  from    the  bay  of    Saint    Lawrence  on  the   southern,  eastern,  and 


THE    MOUNTAINEER    INDIANS. 


189 


i 


They  arc  called  Montaignais  hv  the  French  Canadians, 
Mountaineers  by  the  Kn<»lish,  but  refened  to  the  Nas- 
copi  trii)e  by  the  more  intellijj^ent  of  the  latter.  The 
tribe  is  a  branch  of  the  Algonkin  stock,  and  is  the  onlv 
tribe  known  to  inhabit  the  Labrador  peninsula.  They 
are  more  commonly  met  with  at  Riu^olet,  the  trading 
port  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  up  the  Hamilton  In- 
let (Aivektok  Bay);  they  are  also  tlescribed  by  Hind, 
who  encountered  them  at  the  mcjuth  of  the  Moisic  River, 
which  empties  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Along 
this  part  of  the  coast  they  are  rapidly  diminishing  :  last 
winter  many  of  them  starved  to  death — several  hundred, 
according  to  Cole's  statement.*  It  now  appeared  that 
the  larfve  tire,  the  smoke  of  which  we  saw  before  reach- 
ing  Dumplin  Harbor,  was  from  an  area  of  over  forty 
square  miles  situated  back  of  where  we  were  lying  at 
anchor,  and  it  burnt  up  some  of  the  traps  belonging  to 

northern  borders,  and  all  along  the  east  main  to  5O  ami  57  latitude,  and  on  all 
the  ijlands  adjacent,  who  are  the  seamen  and  fishermen  on  salt  waters,  as  those 
are  on  inland  lakes  and  fresh  water  rivers.  Hotii  one  and  other  getts  great 
quantities  of  deer;  but  whales,  seels,  and  sea-iiorses,  are  the  priiicii)le  s-iipport 
of  the  Us(|uemews;  wether  these  retreat  and  retire  to  any  distance  from  the  sea- 
side uppon  the  approach  of  winter,  or  are  wearid  witti  their  long  summer  day, 
and  creep  into  their  winters  cave  to  rest,  this  is  certain,  we  never  saw  but  once 
or  twice  a  single  Uscjuemew  in  many  years  experience  in  the  homeward  bound 
passage,  allho  we  have  been  detained  by  contrary  winds  at  all  their  haunts. 

■'The  interior  parts  of  Labrodore  affords  g(jod  shelier,  and  woods  plenty  for 
the  northern  Indians,  who  dress  their  victuals  as  we  do;  and  dry'd  fish  supply 
the  want  of  bread;  they  are  very  nasty  in  their  persons,  as  all  the  Indians  are; 
but  not  offensive  in  their  filth,  as  the  Usquemews,"  (^Coat's  Geography  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  pp.  88-go.) 

*  "  Returns  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company  show  that  about  4,000  Indians 
frequent  the  company's  posts  throughout  the  whole  of  Labrador;  and  this  ac- 
count probably  includes  nearly  their  whole  strength;  nineteen  twentieths  of 
them  are  nominally  Roman  Catholics."  (Encyclopredia  I3rit'anica,  article 
Labrador.)  Undoubtedly  since  this  count  was  -made  their  number  has  con- 
siderablv  diminished. 


f 

s 

il  ■;: 


1    s 


n  t: 


i'it- 


STIii 


II 


I  I 


0 


190 


A    MMMi;US   CKL'ISE    lO    NOKTIIKKN    LAlikAIif)R. 


IimI 


h 


1 ' 

■  { 

,J 

! 

I 

Cole's  brother.  The  fire  was  ascribed  to  Indians,  wlio 
probably  set  the  woods  in  a  bla>:e  to  drive  out  the  iranie  ; 
it  was  preceded  by  two  unusually  warm  and  dry  days, 
at  the  time  when  the  wintl  turned  westerly  and  we  were 
let  t)Ut  fiom  our  prison  at  Scjuarc  Island. 

The  iceberiis  were  still  neiiihborlv,  two  lariie  ones  in 
the  ofhniu:,  one  like  a  church  steeple,  the  boily  submerj^ed 
beneath  the  waves,  while  the  other  suggested  the  form 
of  a  huge  S(iuirrel  sitting  on  his  haunches  with  his  tail 
over  his  back.  According  to  Cole  the  snow  and  ice 
clears  off  from  the  coast  at  this  point  about  the  20th  of 
June  ;  at  least  that  is  the  date  when  he  leaves  his  winter 
house  for  his  residence  on  shore  ;  the  first  of  October, 
when  the  snow  begins  to  fall,  he  moves  back  into  the 
interior. 

The  early  part  of  the  next  day  it  stormed,  blowing 
almost  a  gale  from  the  north,  with  heavy  rain  ;  we  still 
held  on  to  our  rather  exposed  anchorage  under  a  high 
point  of  land;  not  the  least  bight  or  indentation  near  at 
hand  for  harborage.  In  the  afternoon  the  weather 
moderating,  we  got  under  way,  and  reached  Strawberry 
Harbor  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  On  our  way  here 
we  were  boarded  by  an  Eskimo  in  his  kayak,  who  had 
been  living  in  this  bay  during  the  summer.  We  first 
caught  sight  of  the  little  craft  two  or  three  miles  astern. 
It  looked  as  it  came  up,  bows  on,  like  a  large  puffin  sitting 
on  the  waves  ;  soon  we  could  see  the  paddle  describing 
a  trajectory  such  as  the  wings  of  a  puffin  n  ght  make,  and 
eventually  we  could  recognize  the  human  apart  from  the 
kayak,  though  an  Eskitno  seems  an  integral  portion  of 
his  kayak, — one  as  human  as  the  other.  We  throw 
over  a  rope,  the  kayak  disgorges  the  Eskimo,  the  latter 


gi- 


STKAWHKRKV    HARHOR. 


191 


deftly  climbs  up  over  the  rail  haiul-ovei-luiud,  and  then 
we  take  aboard  the  kayak. 

Whether  the  little  box  of  a  harbor  we  swiui^  in  was 
called  Strawberry*  because  it  was  but  little  larger  than 
that  berry,  history  does  not  record  ;  but  it  was  the  (jueer- 
est  of  the  (|ueer  harbors  we  had  entered,  and  by  this 
time  the  monotony  of  leavinu;  one  harbor  in  the  morn- 
inir  and  entering  its  counterfeit  presentment  the  same 
evening-  had  been  a  matter  of  remark  by  the  ij-rumblers 
aboard.  There  was  not  room  enou|Lih  to  swing  by  our 
cable,  so  we  made  fast  to  the  rocks  ashore,  which  rose 
in  cliffs  reaching  nearly  to  our  topmasts.  Another  ves- 
sel shared  these  narrow  quarters  with  us.  She  had  had 
tolerably  good  luck  in  fishing,  her  hole  being  packed  two 
or  three  feet  deep  with  codfish. 

Deep  and  seemingly  inaccessible  to  outside  life  as 
Strawberry  Harbor  promised  to  be,  the  next  day,  which 
was  nearly  calm  and  sunny,  with  a  little  breeze  from  the 
east,  the  mosquitoes,  swarming  from  land  and  peering 
over  into  our  den,  swooped  down  upon  us  and  made  life 
miserable.  Ashore  with  my  insect-net,  they  fairly  drove 
me  off  the  hunting-ground,  which  proved  to  be  richer  in 
arctic  insect  life  than  any  yet  experienced. 

So  with  the  plants,  showing  that  this  spot  was  warmer 
and  more  protected  than  anv  harbor  we  had  visited  for 
the  past  two  weeks.  In  the  gulches  and  ravines  tne 
mountain-ash,  alder,  and  willows  grew  to  the  enormous 
height  of  three  feet ;  the  white  spruce-trees  were  perhaps 
twenty-five  feet  high  and  one  foot  in  diameter  near  the 
ground.    This  species  of  Abies,  called  in  Maine  the  "  cat" 

*  This  harbor  is  very  near  Ford's  Bight  or   Nisbet's   Harbor,  and  about  ten. 
miles  from  Anderson's  house,  16  on  the  map  of  Eskimo  Bay. 


iti^ 


•  f 


192 


i:>ii' 


A    SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN    LAHRADOR. 


li  ;  ) 


or  "  skunk  spruce,"  from  its  peculiar  odor,  is  a  more 
hardy  tree  than  the  black  spruce  and  grows  farther 
north.  We  have  seen  it  growing  luxuriously  in  Aroos- 
took County,  Maine,  but  it  is  rarely  found  farther  south 
than  Mt.  Desert.  Violets  were  in  bloom,  and  one  or 
two  were  new  to  me  ;  Ledum  palustre  was  now  out  of 
flower,  while  the  Labrador  tea  (^Lcdum  latifoliiivi)  was 
still  in  blossom,  as  were  the  bunch-berry,  the  mountain- 
trident,  and  the  golden-thread  ;  Kahnia  glaiica  was 
nearly  done  flowering,  and  the  green  fruit  of  the  curlew- 
berry  was  of  full  size  ;  evidently  the  short  Labrador  sum- 
mer of  six  weeks  had  come. 

The  rocks  about  us  were  syenitic,  with  numerous  thin 
trap  dykes,  both  vertical  and  horizontal  ;  some  of  them 
had  weathered  away,  leaving  deep  vertical  fissures  ;  where 
the  horizontal  dykes  had  disappeared,  great  blocks  of 
syenite  had  fallen  down,  giving  a  dismantled  appearance 
to  the  shore.  The  south  side  of  the  harbor  ran  in  rock- 
terraced  heights  to  an  elevation  of  nearly  five  hundred 
feet,  the  huge  rocky  shelves  falling  away  seaward  as  if 
laid  a. id  smoothed  with  cyclopean  hands.  Climbing 
about  over  these  hills  was  almost  imi)osriblc  ;  streams 
rushed  foaming  down  the  ravines,  some  in  sight,  others 
only  known  by  their  rumbling,  stifled  roar  under  the 
bowlders  concealing  their  bed. 

We  learned  that  some  Eskimos  were  spending  the 
summer  on  an  island  hard  by,  and.  we  tried  to  get  one 
to  pilot  us  to  Hopedale,  but  were  unsuccessful.  Land- 
ing on  another  flat  islet  near  by,  where  this  or  some 
other  Eskimo,  with  perhaps  his  family,  had  been  sum- 
mering in  his  tent  or  tepic  of  seal-skins,  as  evidenced  by 
the  circle  of  stones  used  to  weigh  down  the  bottom  of 


SALMON. 


•95 


ii 


^1 


ci- 
ne 

Ti- 


the: tL'|)ic  ;  the  marks  of  his  temporary  sojourn  were  in- 
dubitable, as  witnessed  by  the  stones  whieh  had  been 
used  to  prop  up  his  tent,  the  feathers  and  bones  of  sea- 
fowl  he  had  sliot  or  snared,  and  by  the  seattered  seal 
bones  and  skins  and  other  unmistakable  signs  of  Eskimo 
occupaney  and  of  Eskimo  personal  uneleanliness. 

July  27th  and  28th  we  had  a  severe  ^ale  from  the 
north,  with  snow  and  rain.  All  through  the  day  the  poor 
women  on  the  other  vessel  had  to  do  their  eooking  on 
deck  without  shelter.  On  the  28th  the  thermometer 
went  down  to  34"  P.,  and  we  had  nearly  two  inches  of 
snow  on  our  deck,  while  on  the  hills  above  us  were 
drifts  a  foot  deep  which  lasted  for  a  day  or  two,  as  meas- 
ured by  Mr.  Willis,  who  explored  on  the  following  day 
the  heights  above  us,  and  reported  tracks  of  foxes  in  the 
snow.     Two  deer  were  also  seen  by  some  fishermen. 

On  the  29th  it  cleared  off,  and  at  sunset  the  wind 
changed  to  the  west.  At  last  we  picked  up  an  Eskimo 
pilot  for  Hopedale.  He  had  been  partly  educated,  and 
was  living  with  a  Norwegian  who  had  been  on  the  coast 
for  eleven  years,  during  seven  of  which  he  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  his  pay  being 
fifty  dollars  a  year.  He  brought  us  two  salmon  of  dt 
species  I  had  not  before  seen,  and  which  proved  to  be 
Saimo  znnnaculatus  of  Storer. 

He  nets  more  of  these,  which  he  calls  salmon  trout, 
than  of  the  true  salmon,  fishing  for  them  with  a  twenty- 
foot  net.  The  salmon  come  in  usually  on  the  2 2d  of 
July,  and  continue  to  run  up  the  streams  until  about  the 
20th  of  August.  The  "  salmon  trout"  is  found  nearer 
shore,  while  the  large  true  salmon  is  more  abundant  at 
the  mouth  of  the  bay  than  ten  miles   inland,  where  our 


^i/i;p: 


i 


!!      '  i 


:li 


Ill 


^ 


A   SUMMERS  CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN    LABKADOK. 

Norwegian  friend  lived.  He  lieard  to-day,  as  he  re- 
marked to  us,  a  wolf  howling,  and  supposed  it  had  killed 
a  deer,  as  "after  feeding  upon  one  they  usually  begin  to 
howl."  During  the  winter  he  shot  fifteen  deer,  enough 
for  the  winter's  supply  of  fresh  meat.  We  found  here 
fresh  traces  of  the  polar  bear,  an  Englishman,  named 
Tom  Oliver,  having  shot  a  small  one  last  winter. 

Part  of  this  day  was  spent  ashore,  and  on  the  side  of 
a  deep  ravin  we  recognized  an  old  acquaintance  in  a 
low  white  golden-rod  like  a  familiar  White  Mountain 
species.  The  star-flower  (  Tricntalis  amcricand),  also  a 
dwarfed  yarrow  {Millefolinni)  and  an  Andromeda  were 
seen  to-day  in  addition  to  the  flowers  we  picked  before 
the  storm ;  also  a  dandelion-like  flower.  More  land 
shells  (including  the  slug,  Limax  agrcstis)  were  found 
here  than  at  any  other  point  we  visited;  they  occurred 
under  spruce  bark  and  chips  in  the  damp  verdure  :  all  of 
them  i^Pupa  Iioppii,  Helix  fabricii^  and  Vitriiia  angcliccB) 
were  Greenland  vshclls,  never  before  found  south  of  that 
arctic  land,  and  this  fact  bears  witness  to  the  interesting 
intermingling  of  Greenland  life,  animal  and  plant,  with 
the  Canadian  or  boreal  forms  indigenous  in  the  forest- 
clad  interior.  There  are  in  Labrador  two  climates,  the 
arctic  on  the  coast,  the  boreal  or  north-temperate  in  the 
interior.  The  Greenland  and  arctic  forms  occurring  on 
the  coast  are  the  remnants  of  the  glacial  or  arctic  flora 
which  were  formerly  spread  over  the  entire  territory  of 
British  America,  New  England,  and  the  northern  cen- 
tral United  States  during  the  supremacy  of  the  ice,  and 
which  were,  so  to  speak,  pushed  out  to  sea  by  the  migra- 
tion northward  of  the  temperate  forms,  only  retaining 
their  hold  on  the  treeless  and  exposed  islands  and  head- 


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THE   COASI    NEAR   llol'liDALE. 


«95 


lands  of  tliis  coast,  whicli  in  nearly  all  respects  are  arc- 
tic and  circumpolar,  though  llopedale  is  in  the  latitude 
of  Duhlin. 

Another  (ireenland  shell,  a  little  fresh-water  hivalve 
i^Pisidiuni  stccnbiichii )  not  before  known  to  live  st)uth 
of  Greenland,  was  common  in  the  j)ools,  from  which 
were  arisinj^  caddis-tlies  and  an  Mphemera.  A  worker 
bumble-bee  was  also  seen  here  for  the  lirst  time,  not- 
withstandinjr  the  cold  weather  of  the  past  few  days. 

Here  were  again  to  be  observed  the  signs  of  the  for- 
mer depression  of  land  which  marked  the  height  of  the 
Leda-clay  epoch  (the  Cham|)lain  epoch  of  the  books)  ; 
beaches  at  least  loo  feet  high,  with  two  terraces,  the 
lower  one  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
The  afternoon  of  July  30th  saw  us  safe  in  the  harbor  of 
Hopedale.  A  fresh,  fair,  west  wind  bUnving  all  night 
let  us  out  of  our  snug  little  haven  at  Strawberry.  (Jur 
pilot  simply  knew  the  way  to  Hopedale,  and  some  of 
the  more  dangerous  rocks  along  our  course.  The  wind 
was  so  fresh  that  our  cautious  captain  took  two  reefs  in 
the  mainsail,  but  it  only  blew  strongly  out  of  the  bay, 
being  an  off-shore  wind,  and  the  force  of  the  breeze  di- 
minished sensibly  as  we  went  out  to  sea.  The  mountains 
and  hills  around  our  harbor  and  perhaps  for  a  distance 
often  miles  northward,  some  of  them  800  and  1,000  feet 
high,  were  spotted  with  snow,  the  remnants  of  the  past 
storm.  As  we  approached  within  twenty  miles  of 
Hopedale,  the  outer  islands  at  the  mouth  of  Kippokok 
Bay  were  seen  to  be  more  or  less  hummocky,  some  of 
them  high  and  rounded,  evidently  composed  of  the  lab- 
radoritic  syenite,  while  the  mainland  at  the  head  of  the 
bays  was    of   Lauren tian  gneiss.     Still    as  we   advance 


li 


'I 


196        A   summer's  cruise  to   northern   LABRADOR. 

northward  the  whole  country,  or  at  least  the  coast,  grad- 
ually rises  higher  above  the  sea,  which  made  me  more 
than  ever  anxious  to  see  how  it  culminated  in  the  wild, 
crater-shaped,  snow-streaked  lofty  mountains  near  Cape 
Chidley  ;  but  it  was  not  to  be  our  good  fortune  to  reach 
that  promised  land. 


r'     ' 


;^ 


CHAPTER   IX. 


A  SUMMERS  CRUISE  TO  NORTHERN  LABRADOR. 


IV.    IIOI'KDALK  AND  THE  KSKIMO. 


About  an  hour  before  we  reached  Ilopedale,  we 
passed  a  high  sugar-loaf-shaped  island,  "The  Beacon," 
with  four  well-marked  terraces  carved  by  the  weather  or 
shore-ice  when  the  sea  stood  at  different  levels  in  the 
agesgone  by,  as  the  land  halted  in  its  upward  rise.     This 


UOCK  TERRACES  ON   "THE  BEACON,      700  FEET  ELEVATION,  NEAR  IIOPEDAI.E. 


was  the  landmark  for  the  Moravian  vessels  from  London, 
and  by  boiling  water  on  the  summit  it  had  been  ascer- 
tained to  rise  700  feet  above  the  sea.  The  rock  was  evi- 
dently that  variety  of  syenite  containing  labradorite  and 
green  hornblende.  In  the  interior  a  few  miles  distant 
was  to  be  seen  a  high  elevation,  broad  and  massive  at  the 
base,  but  conical  or  nipple-shaped  at  the  summit,  and 
rising  perhaps  1,500  feet  above  the  sea. 

As  we  entered,  on  a   Saturday  afternoon,  the    harbor 
of  Hopedale,  which   is  situated  at  the  head  of  a  deep, 

197 


!!      ^i 


I    -1 


198 


A   SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN   LABRADOR. 


t.    >  I . 


r  i 


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p.  i 

i 

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f  > 

H 

1 

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i 

broad  bay  or  sound,  we  nearly  overhauled  the  Moravian 
supply  ship  "  Harmony,"  just  out  from  London.  She 
was  a  bark  of  300  American  tons,  very  neatly  kept,  thor- 
oughly well-appointed,  and  well-officered  and  manned, 
her  chief  officer,  Captain  Linklater,  a  Scotchman.  As 
she  approached  the  harbor  and  before  we  discovered  the 
mission  building  ashore,  she  fired  a  salute  from  two  nine- 
pounders,  at  the  same  time  sending  her  flag  up  to  half- 
mast  :  both  announcing  her  arrival  and  signalling  disas- 
ter— the  death  in  London  of  Rev.  Mr.  Latrobe,  Secre- 
tary of  the  Society  of  the  United  Brethren.  A  salute 
from  a  small  gun  near  a  flagstaff  on  the  rocks  not  far 
from  the  mission,  and  an  irregular  volley  from  the  fowl- 
ing-pieces of  the  Eskimos  answered  ;  then  a  dory  and  a 
kayak  put  off  from  shore,  followed  by  a  hcav^y,  clumsy 
boflt  with  a  square  block  tiller,  which  bore  the  three  mis- 
sionaries, clad  in  seal-skin  frocks  with  capotes,  who 
greeted  the  others  aboard  with  a  kiss  on  each  cheek. 
The  boat's  flag  was  also  at  half-mast,  as  the  oldest  mis- 
sionary. Superintendent  Kruth,  had  died  at  Hopedale 
but  a  few  days  previous.  The  "  Harmony"  had  brought 
over  besides  a  missionary  who  had  been  absent  for  two 
years,  the  agent  or  supercargo,  Herr  Lintner,  who  had 
been  educated  as  a  civil  engineer,  and  was  the  son  of  the 
owner  of  the  vessel  ;  he  visits  the  three  mission  stations^ 
and  reports  to  the  Society  at  home  as  to  their  condition 
and  progress.* 

*  This  was  the  only  vessel  which  visited  Hopedale  while  we  were  there. 
Since  that  date  this  part  of  the  coast  has  been  visited  by  fishermen  from  New- 
foundland and  Nova  Scotia,  attracted  northward  by  the  greater  abundance  of 
codfish.  Dewitz  states  that  up  to  the  year  1S79  nearly  2,200  vessels  had  visited 
Hopedale,  from  500  to  600  annually  reaching  the  port,  while  in  the  year  1879 
800  vessels  touched  at  Hopedale,  and  on  one  morning  72  vessels  lay  in  Hope- 
dale  Bay. 


msm^ 


ESKIMO    WOMKN. 


199 


|e- 


Meanwhile  we  were  boarded  by  a  large  delegation  of 
the  squat,  square-faced  aboriginals  ashore,  full  of  curios- 
ity and  interest,  quite  ready  to  accept  any  offering  from 
our  dinner-table,  or  even  the  scullion's  waste-pail,  and 
examining  our  spars  and  deck  with  approving  glances. 
We  returned  the  visit,  and  it  may  be  confessed  that  we 
fully  reciprocated  their  interest  in  our  surroundings  when 
we  inspected  their  own. 

There  are  six  Moravian  settlements  in  Labrador,  the 
oldest  being  Nain,  which  was  founded  in  1771  ;  Okkak 
was  founded  in  1776;  Hopedale  in  1782;  Hebron  and 
Zoar  in  1830.  Hopedale  is  situated  in  kit.  55°  25', 
Nain  in  lat.  56°  25',  Okkak  in  kit  57°  2,2,',  and  Hebron  in 
lat.  58°  50'.  At  these  stations  there  were  in  all,  in  i860, 
twenty  missionaries  and  about  1,400  Eskimos.  Rama 
was  founded  a  year  or  two  after  our  visit. 

The  new  science  of  anthropology  was  not  so  generally 
cultivated  in  1864  as  now,  and  we  took  no  notes  of  the 
height  of  the  Eskimos  at  Hopedale  and  elsewhere  ;  but 
in  "Science"  for  July  29,  1887,  we  find  the  following 
statements  by  Mr.  VV.  A.  Ashe  as  to  the  mean  height 
of  the  Eskimo  at  North  Bluff  on  Hudson  Strait,  taken 
from  measurements  of  "60  families,"  the  exact  number 
of  persons  measured  not  being  stated.  The  men  aver- 
aged 5  feet,  3.9  inches,  and  the  women  approximately  5 
feet,  in  height. 

And  here  it  may  be  said  that  the  condition  of  the 
women,  whether  the  effect  of  their  semi-civilization  and 
Christianization  or  not,  was  certainly  not  that  of  subjec- 
tion, but  of  normal  equality.  They  were  certainly 
sharper  at  a  bargain  than  their  husbands,  and  within 
doors,  at  least,  appeared  to  be  mistresses  of  the  mansion. 


Ml 


-  ii 


■M 


I 


w 


A    SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


m 


The  women's  dress  differs  from  that  of  the  men  in  the 
lonc^  tail  to  their  jacket-hke  garment ;  some  wore  an  old 
calico  dress-skirt  over  the  original  Eskimo  dress, — a 
thin  veneer  of  civilization  typical  perhaps  of  the  educa- 
tion they  had  been  receiving  for  the  past  few  generations, 
wliicii  was  not  so  thoroui^^h-i^oin"'  as  not  to  leave  extcinal 
traces  at  least  of  their  savage  antecedents.  But  may  this 
not  be  said  of  all  of  us  ?  For  only  a  few  centuries  ago  our 
ancestors  were  in  a  state  of  semi-barbarism,  and  the  An- 
glo-Saxon race  can  date  back  to  Neolithic  Celts  and 
bronze-using  Aryan  barbarians.  However  this  may  be, 
the  Eskimos  at  Hopedale  were  a  well-bred,  kindly,  in- 
telligent, scrupulously  honest  folk,  whereas  their  ances- 
tors before  the  establishment  of  the  Moravian  mission- 
aries on  this  coast  were  treacherous,  crafty,  and  murder- 
ous. To  be  shipwrecked  on  this  inhospitable  coast  was 
esteemed  a  lesser  evil  than  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  wan- 
dering bands  of  Labrador  Eskimos.  The  natives  have 
evidently  been  well  cared  for  by  the  missionaries,  kept 
from  starvation  in  the  winter,  and  their  lives  have  been 
made  nobler  and  better.  Even  in  an  Eskimo  tepic  life 
has  been  proved  to  be  worth  living.  Fishermen  and 
cruisers  are  (1864)  not  welcomed  here,  and  it  was  not 
until  a  day  or  two  had  elapsed  and  the  object  of  our  ex- 
pedition made  known  that  we  were  cordially  welcomed- 

There  were  four  missionaries  at  Hopedale  :  Brothers 
Shutt,  Kreuchmer,  Vollpracht,  and  Samuel  Weiz,  the 
latter,  who  died  in  1888,  a  good  botanist  and  interested 
in  the  zoology  of  the  coast.  They  were  now  living 
with  their  families  under  one  roof  in  the  new  mission 
house — a  red-roofed  yellow  building  of  wood,  of  two 
stories   and   a  half,  a  large,  convenient,  warm   house — 


A   FrM.-i!i.(i(ji>i- h   Eskimo  Faiii\     \i    llMn.pAi.r,   Lm'.raiok.    iSf)_|. 
(From  a  phoioi;i;iph  Ky  P)ra'lfonl.  i 


wmmm 


m 


1:  •  ■  I' 


-  :\  ^^_-<$^.  f -^.-^t- '  T":  '■  ■ 


Mai 


THE    NORTHERN    LIMIT   OF    iRKES. 


201 


there  beinj^  seven  buildings  in  all,  including  the  unfin- 
ished new  chai)el  ;  at  a  distance  from  the  others  was  a 
small  powder-house.  The  servants  in  and  about  the  sta- 
tion were  Eskimo,  neat,  cleanly,  and  intelligent.  There 
was  plenty  of  lumber,  judging  by  a  pile  of  spruce-logs, 
which  were  about  fifty  feet  long  and  twenty  inches  in 
thickness  at  the  butt.* 

We  were  also  told  that  the  Eskimos  had  built  and 
manned  a  schooner  of  fifty  tons.  The  mission  is  in  part 
a  trading-post,  but  at  present  's  paying  only  half  its  ex- 
penses ;  the  missionaries  dealing  in  furs  and  curiosities, 
which  they  sell  in  London.  Mr.  VVeiz  kindly  gave  me 
a  list  of  the  plants  and  vertebrate  animals  of  Labrador, 
accompanied  with  notes,  and  his  herbarium  was  very 
complete  in  the  plants  of  Okkak,  which  he  said  was 
warmer,  more  |)rotected,  and  had  a  more  luxuriant   flora 


*  The  northern  limit  of  trees  on  the  Labrador  coast  appears  from  the  state- 
ments of  L.  T.  Reichel  to  be  not  far  north  of  Hebron,  as  he  says  that  while 
the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  coast  is  treeless,  the  bays  south  of  Hebron 
are  well  wooded  with  spruce  and  larches,  and  south  of  this  point  with  birches. 
Although  situated  considerably  more  to  the  south  than  Greenland,  the  winter 
is  longer  and  the  cold  greater  than  in  Greenland,  since  the  southern  extremity 
of  Greenland  is  warmed  by  a  branch  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  while  the  winter 
<:limate  of  the  Labrador  coast  is  lowered  by  the  floating  ice  borne  by  the 
Labrador  current  from  Baffin's  Bay.  In  Greenland  the  water  becomes  open 
in  April,  while  in  [Labrador  the  bays  are  not  free  from  ice  till  the  first  of 
July.  On  the  other  hand,  the  summer  months  are  considerably  warmer 
than  in  Greenland,  and  hence  there  is  a  forest  growth,  since  the  interior  of 
Greenland  is  buried  in  ice.  In  Dewitz's  pamplilet  it  is  stated  that  in  the  deep 
bays  between  Zoar  and  Hopedale  birches  occur,  also  willows,  stunted  bushes  of 
the  mountain-ash,  and  alders,  until  south  of  Hopedale  the  vegetation  passes 
into  the  forest  flora  of  Canada.  But  we  observed  that  the  outer  islands  are 
nearly  bare  from  Cape  Harrison  to  Hopedale,  the  shrubs  and  stunted  trees 
mentioned  only  growing  in  protected  valleys.  Dewitz  adds  that  there  are  rem- 
nants of  forests  on  the  coast,  but  that  the  missionaries  have  been  unable  to 
plant  forests,  and  they  think  that  the  existing  forest  growth  owes  its  origin  to 
an  earlier,  warmer  period. 


N 


'I 


'ih 


w 


I  i  ' 


! ;  1 


I 


202        A   SUMMERS   CRUISE  TO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 

than  Ilopedale.  Mr.  Vollpracht  told  me  that  a  large 
fresh-water  snail  (^LimiKva,  near  elodes)  was  abundant  in 
a  lake  at  Okkak.  The  collection  of  birds'  eggs  was  a 
good  one,  and  they  also  had  skulls  of  the  polar  and 
black  bears  and  of  seals,  which  they  sold  to  us.  I  also 
purchased  a  valuable  collection  of  insects,  principally 
butterflies  and  moths,  obtained  at  Okkak.  We  visited 
the  rather  large  cemetery,  well  laid  out  and  fenced  in, 
situated  in  a  level  spot  where  the  soil  was  deeper  than 
elsewhere  :  at  one  end  were  the  graves  of  the  mission- 
aries, over  which  memorial  slabs  were  laid  ;  a  large 
mound  marked  the  last  resting-place  of  Superintendent 
Kruth,  while  among  the  others  was  an  infant's  grave; 
at  the  opposite  end  of  the  yard  were  the  short  grpv-s  of 
the  Eskimos. 

There  were  six  little  gardens,  each  perhaps  belonging 
to  a  separate  family.  They  were  laid  out  like  those  in 
the  fatherland,  with  clumps  of  spruce  and  larches,  em- 
bracing a  summer-house,  a  rustic  seat,  and  a  grass-plot. 
There  were  also  rows  of  hot-beds,  where  they  rear  let- 
tuce from  plants  raised  in  the  house,  yielding  them  salad 
in  May.  Turnips  were  well  forward,  onions  were  in 
bud,  currant  bushes  two  feet  high  were  in  blossom,  as 
well  as  potatoes,  which  were  six  inches  high,  and  the 
rhubarb  was  quite  luxuriant  in  its  growth,  its  flowers 
having  been  open  for  some  time. 

The  Eskimos  were  ready  enough  to  traffic,  though 
slow  at  first  to  bring  out  their  wares,  which  consisted  of 
birds'  eggs,  principally  those  of  robins  and  murres, 
models  of  kayaks  and  oomiaks,  as  well  as  sleds  in 
bone  and  seal-skin.  From  one  of  them,  named  Caspar, 
a  lame  boy  who   had  lived   ten   years  in  Hamilton  Inlet 


KVKNINfi    PRAYERS. 


203 


and  knew  a  little  English,  I  was  told  tiiat  a  narvvhale 
was  seen  many  years  ago  on  this  coast.  It  appears  that 
this  polar  animal  occurs  now  as  far  south  as  Hudson's 
Strait.  Captain  Handy  told  me  that  on  the  north  side 
of  Hudson's  Strait  the  narvvhale  commonly  goes  in 
herds  of  thirty.  Malmgren,  a  Finnish  author,  says  that 
the  narwhale  leaves  Spitzbergen  in  summer  for  more 
northern  and  colder  latitudes.* 

None  of  them,  however,  had  ever  seen  a  walrus,  but 
the  white  bear  was  said  to  be  not  uncommon  ;  and  he 
mentioned  the  wolverine  as  occurring;  in  the  neic^hbor- 
hood.  Showing  Caspar  the  picture  of  the  lobster  in  my 
Gosse's  Zoology,  he  said  it,  with  the  shore  crab,  was  not 
found  here,  but  south  of  Grosswater  Bay  (Hamilton 
Inlet);  the  salmon  (kavishilik)  were  taken  in  nets;  he 
was  also  familiar  with  the  starfish,  which  he  called 
ougiak. 

At  sunset  the  chapel  bell  rang  for  evening  prayers, 
and  all  left  their  work  or  houses  and  made  their  way  to 
the  sanctuary.  The  men  and  women  sat  separately  and 
at  opposite  ends  of  the  room,  even  entering  )y  a  sepa- 
rate door ;  and  the  oldest  members  of  the  coiigregalion 
sat  back  on  the  higher  benches,  probably  to  overawe  the 
juveniles  on  the  front  seats  ;  although  these  must  have 
been  duly  restrained  by  the  presence  of  the  seven  mis- 
sionaries who  sat  against  the  opposite  wall  on  the  right 
side  of  the  leader's  desk,  their  seven  wives  on  the  left. 
The  service  was  brief,  lasting  twenty  minutes,  consisting 
of  an  invocation  or  address  in  Eskimo,  and  a  few  chants 
to  German  tunes,  the  congregation  joining  in  the  music 


*  Wie^mann's  Archiv  fiir  Naturgeschichte,  1S64,  p.  96. 


w 


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1 

204 


A    Sl'MMKRS   CRUIIjK     lO    N'ORTIIERN    LABRADOR. 


of  the  oi'fTan,  which  was  well  jilayed  by  an  Eskimo  hoy. 
From  the  chapel  all  dispersed  to  their  (piarters,  and  the 
settlement  long  before  dark  was  buried  in  profound 
silence. 

Sunday,  the  31st  July,  was  a  warm,  sunny  day,  unfor- 
tunately as  much  enjoyed  by  the  moscjuitoes  and  black- 
flies  as  by  us.  In  the  forenoon  we  went  to  the  service, 
which  was  simple  and  brief,  the  natives  not  being 
wearied  with  a  long  discourse  ;  like  the  yesterday  even- 
ing prayers  it  consisted  simply  of  an  invocation  or  ad- 
dress, congregational  singing  and  the  litany,  and  in  half 
an  hour  the  assembly  dispersed. 

The  day  was  observed  by  the  natives  and  all  others 
with  more  reverence  than  we  have  noticed  in  Lutheran 
countries.  The  evening  by  invitation  was  spent  aboard 
the  "  Harmony."  Captain  Linklater,  an  unusually  in- 
telligent man,  was,  as  he  told  us,  six  weeks  on  his  voy- 
age from  London  here ;  he  generally  first  sights  Cape 
Webuc,  though  steering  for  "  The  Beacon"  below  Hope- 
dale. 

In  sailing  from  Hopedale  to  Nain  the  "  Harmony" 
takes  an  inside  course.  Above  this  point  the  coast  is  still 
more  deeply  indented  by  bays  and  fjords,  their  mouths 
checked  with  islands  which  extend  fifty  miles  or  more  out 
to  sea.  The  captain  is  ordered  by  the  company  or  gov- 
ernor to  take  two  Eskimo  pilots  from  each  port ;  he  gen- 
erally leaves  them  to  return  when  fifteen  miles  out  from 
harbor,  as  they  are  unacquainted  with  the  rocks  and 
shoals.  Navigation  to  Nain  is  represented  to  be  difficult ; 
at  one  place  the  vessel  has  to  double  two  points  closing 
in  one  beyond  the  other.  The  captain  while  in  harbor  is 
gradually  making  charts  of  the  coast,  which  at  best  can 


THE    I'T-OK-ICK. 


!0S 


only  l)c  approxlniatlvc ;  the  missionaries  liavc  also,  by  as- 
ccn{lin<>;'  the  hii^hcst  points  near  their  respective  stations, 
taken  the  hearinos  of  the  islands  about,  Ca|)tain  I..  i)y  a 
patent  \o^^  takinij  the  distance  between  them.'''  For  ninety 
years  a  "Harmony" — the  name  bein<r  iianded  down 
to  successive  vessels — has  made  its  annual  voyaf^e  to 
Labrador,  the  missions  havinj^'  been  estai)lished  in  Green- 
land in  1733  and  fust  on  this  coast  in  1771  ;  during  that 
time  but  two  men  have  been  lost  from  the  vessel,  one 
of  them  having  been  drowned  by  upsetting  in  a  kayaU. 
From  the  hills  east  of  the  station  the  icc-ficld  could 
be  seen  about  ten  miles  out  to  sea,  but  bergs  were  visible 
all  along  the  coast.  Captain  Linklater  on  this  voyage 
encountered  more  ice  than  in  any  previous  year  of  his 
service.  He  found  the  field  to  be  eighty-five  miles  wide  ; 
and  from  careful  observations  during  a  number  of  years 
judged  the  rate  of  travel  of  the  floe  past  the  coast  at  this 
point  to  be  at  the  rate  of  twenty-seven  miles  a  day,  or  a 
little  over  a  mile  an  hour.  During  this  summer  the  ice 
had,  as  we  had  observed,  been  running  down  the  coast 
from  June  2 2d  to  August  2 2d,  though  it  actually  began 
earlier  and  must  have  continued  later  than  that.  That 
the  ice  finally  disappeared  by  melting  rather  than  by 
sinking  we  believe,  though  the  fishermen  on  the  coast 
maintain  that  it  finally  sinks.  The  extent  of  the  ice-fields 
therefore  off  the  coast  of  Labrador  and  Newfoundland 
must  have  been  this  season  not  much  less  than  80,000 
square  miles  ;  the  effect  of  such  a  wet  blanket  on  the 
coast  may  well  be  imagined. 

*  The  results  of  these  surveys  were  embodied  in  a  MS.  map  by  the  Rev.  S. 
Welz,  and  it  was  this  map  which  was  kindly  loaned  me  by  the  Secretary,  Mr. 
Latrobe,  of  the  London  office,  and  used  in  compiling  the  map  of  Labrador  in 
the  present  volume. 


I  •    I 


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206        A   SU.MMKR's   CRUISK   to   NOKTIIERN   LABRADOR. 

August  I  St  was  spent  in  gcolo^rizing,  as  it  was  cold 
and  cloudy,  with  an  easterly  wind.  'I'lie  island  on  which 
Hopcdale  is  situated  is  of  the  ordinary  Laurentian  ^^neiss, 
which  behind  the  mission  house  is  curiously  contorted  ; 
it  is  fine-grained,  distinctly  banded,  with  veins  of  quartz 
and  of  granite  ;  at  one  point  it  dipped  about  6o°  W. 
with  a  N.  \\\  and  S.  E.  strike.  There  are  a  number 
of  trap  dykes,  in  places  like  slightly  winding  stairs  or 
steps  tlescending  to  the  water's  edge,  justifying  the 
term  /n?/ applied  to  this  rock,  which  is  from  the  Swedish 
trappa,  meaning  a  series  of  steps  or  stairs. 

The  rocks  are  water-worn  and  terraced  to  the  tops 
of  the  hills.  Behind  the  mission  house  is  a  raised  beach 
of  large,  loose,  rounded  sea-worn  bowlders,  generally  two 
feet  in  diameter,  and  mostly  concealed  by  the  growth  of 
Empetrum  ;  it  is  narrow  and  slopes  down  to  a  little 
bight  east  of  the  Eskimo  village,  and  its  shores  are  formed 
by  what  proved  to  be  a  raised  sea-bottom.  To  our  great 
surprise  and  delight  this  beach  above  and  between  tide- 
marks  abounded  in  multitudes  of  deep-water  shells  with 
other  fossils  ;  and  I  spent  half  the  day  in  picking  them 
up,  renewing  the  search  the  next  day.  That  it  was  an 
old  sea-bottom  which  had  been  raised  at  least  from  75 
to  100  feet,  if  not  more,  was  proved  by  the  habits  of  the 
shells,  now  living  ut  the  depth  of  from  15  to  20  fathoms 
off  shore,  and  al^^o  by  the  quantities  of  nullipores  encrust- 
ing the  shells  and  pebbles,  showing  that  the  beach  had 
not  been  disturbed  since  its  elevation.  Indeed  it  struck 
me,  though  I  have  no  essential  proof,  that  the  coast  of 
Labrador  is  now  slowly  rising,  and  this  is  also  the  opinion 
of  Campbell  (Frost  and  Fire). 

Returning  to  the  vessel  towards  night,  an  active  trade 


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KAYAKING. 


207 


was  carried  on  with  the  Eskimos  to  our  mutual  satisfac- 
tion ;  we  bartered  our  old  clothes  for  sealskin  boots, 
mittens,  and  miniature  kayaks,  etc. 

The  two  next  days  were  warm  and  sunny,  with  westerly 
winds,  and  the  time  was  mainly  g'ven  to  the  entomology 
of  the  island,  though  the  mosquitoes  were  excessively 
annoying.  On  the  hills  were  the  Chionobas  butterfly,  so 
wonderfully  mimicking  the  colors  of  the  lichens  on  the 
rocks.  The  little  blue  butterfly  {Polyoimnatiis  Frank- 
limi)  was  very  abundant  here,  resembling  some  moths 
when  in  flight. 

We  made  long  calls  upon  the  missionaries,  finding 
them  very  cordial  and  pleasant,  with  much  love  of  natural 
history.  They  returned  our  visit,  and  their  wards,  the 
Eskimos,  swarmed  over  our  vessel  like  flies.  Always 
good-natured,  without  exception  rigidly  honest  and  up- 
right, they  were  a  continual  source  of  interest  and  amuse- 
ment. They  lent  us  their  kayaks,  which  are  framed  of 
spruce  wood  and  covered  with  sealskin,  and  rather  wider 
and  therefore  safer  to  row  in  than  Greenland  kayaks, 
which  are  framed  with  bone.  I  found  it  easy  enough  to 
paddle  in  them,  but  difficult  to  keep  the  bows  steady  on 
the  course,  each  stroke  of  the  double-ended  paddle  caus- 
ing the  bows  to  go  too  far  one  side  ;  they  are  by  no  means 
so  safe,  however,  as  a  birch  canoe.  Some  of  the  passen- 
gers and  our  crew  paddled  for  a  distance  of  one  or  two 
miles,  and  after  a  little  practice  made  good  kayakers. 

One  day  while  rambling  over  the  hills  near  the  station 
I  came  upon  a  fissure  in  the  rock,  marked  by  a  pole, 
and  loosely  covered  with  a  few  flat  stones.  It  contained 
two  skeletons,  presumably  of  an  Eskimo  man  and  woman. 

I  hastily  put  the  skull  and   bones  into  the   bottom  of 


t    I 


III 


i^ 


Hi 


208 


A   SUMMI:r\S   cruise   to    northern    LABRADOR. 


my  butterfly-net  and  eovered  them  with  grass ;  on  my 
way  past  the  chapel  I  came  plump  upon  a  wedding  party 
going  away  from  the  doors.  The  bride  led  the  party, 
clad  in  her  old-time  costume,  with  the  addition  of  a  calico 
skirt ;  at  the  distance  of  a  few  paces  followed  the  groom, 
while  the  friends  straggled  along  behind.  Without  being 
asked  too  curious  questions  I  carried  my  precious  freight 
aboard,  glad — to  use  a  sepulchral  simile — to  kill  two 
birds  with  one  stone,  t.e.  to  secure  the  last  remains  of 
an  old-time  Eskimo  couple  and  to  see  a  young  and  living 
couple  so  recently  united. 

At  Hopedale  we  understood  the  oldest  person,  the 
patriarch  of  the  colony,  to  be  a  woman  of  seventy  years  : 
we  saw  her — a  picture  of  ugliness  which  still  haunts 
our  memory.  There  were  three  Eskimos  who  were  sixty 
years  old.  A  man  becomes  prematurely  old  when  forty- 
five  years  of  age,  as  the  hunters  are  by  that  time  worn 
out  by  the  hardships  of  the  autumnal  seal  fishery. 


mmmm 


I      I 


I  '^1 


CHAPTER   X. 


A  SUMMERS  CRUISE  TO  NORTHERN  LABRADOR. 

V.    THE  RETURN  VOYAdE  TO  ItOSTON. 

On  August  4th  we  bade  farewell  to  Moravians  and 
Eskimos;  and  with  deep  regret  that  it  was  not  possible 
for  us  to  go  farther  north,  at  least  to  the  60th  parallel 
of  latitude,  we  weighed  anchor  and  ran  with  a  fresh  west 
wind  abeam  to  Thomas's  or  Maggovik  Bay,  where  the 
Norwegian  Andersen  lives  in  a  well-wooded  bight. 
Andersen  told  me  he  had  seen  only  one  sort  of  caribou, 
and  did  not  know  of  a  "  barren-ground"  as  distinguished 
from  a  "wood"  caribou.  He  also  said  that  the  white 
and  blue  fox  littered  together,  but  that  the  blue  variety 
was  very  rare.  After  dredging  a  while  in  fifteen  fathoms 
on  a  muddy  bottom,  where  the  interesting  MyriotrocJnis 
was  common,  at  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Mr.  Brad- 
ford went  with  a  boat's  crew  on  a  trading  trip  to 
Thomas's  house.  The  wind  being  dead  ahead  we  had 
to  row  all  the  way  up,  nearly  thirty  miles,  and  back,  reach- 
ing the  vessel  at  one  in  the  night.  We  took  a  late  sup- 
per at  Mr.  Thomas's  hospitable  house,  and  enjoyed  a  cup 
of  tea  with  goat's  milk  and  good  bread.  The  house  was 
comfortably  situated  near  some  quite  sizable  spruce-trees, 
with  a  flourishing  garden  near  by.     Mr.  Thomas  (for  the 

site  of  his  house  see  1 7  on  the  map  of  Eskimo  Bay)  is 

209 


i'|i 


1    : 


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i 

2IO        A    SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN   LABRADOR. 

a  trader  in  furs,  of  which  he  had  two  or  three  hundred 
dollars'  worth  on  hand,  and  he  professed  to  have  more 
than  he  wanted  to  live  on.  This  little  trip  gave  me 
some  idea  of  the  country  inland,  as  Thomas's  Bay  is 
thirty  miles  deep,  forming  a  broad  sound,  with  few  is- 
lands except  at  the  mouth.  Both  sides  of  the  bay  are 
thickly  wooded,  with  mountain  summits  rising  bare  and 
gray  through  the  covering  of  dark  green  coniferous  trees, 
the  birches  or  poplars  not  being  abundant  enough  to  en- 
liven the  sombre  hues  of  an  evergreen  Labrador  forest. 
The  contours  of  the  ridges  and  hills  were  regular,  the 
country  was  rather  low,  the  scenery  on  the  whole  monot- 
onous ;  and  such,  I  conceive,  are  the  features  of  the  in- 
terior of  the  Labrador  plateau,  though  diversified  with, 
lakes  and  deep  river  valleys.  Both  sides  of  the  bay 
were  terraced  :  on  the  north  side  were  three  long  and 
regular  terraces ;  those  on  the  south  side  were  less  regu- 
lar and  much  shorter  ;  one  formed  a  point  of  land  per- 
haps a  hundred  feet  high  and  descending  into  the  water 
by  three  terraces.  Farther  up,  the  slope  of  the  hill  was 
paved  with  large  sea- worn  bowlders,  for  the  most  part 
covered  over  and  hidden  by  the  vegetation.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  bay  are  also  three  naked  terraces,  the 
longer  one  winding  up,  following  the  shore,  a  growth  of 
trees  partially  concealing  it  from  sight.  The  return  row 
down  the  bay  and  the  sunset  effects  were  extremely  fine. 
I  cannot  attempt  to  describe  them.  How  the  scenery 
at  this  point  appeared  to  a  better  artist  in  words  than 
myself  may  be  realized  by  the  following  extract  from 
one  of  Rev.  Mr.  Wasson's  papers  in  the  Atlantic 
Monthly  of  May,  1865  : 

"  In  the  early  afternoon  a  dense  haze  filled  the  sky. 


A    LABRADOR    LANDSCAPE. 


211 


The  sun,  seen  through  this,  became  a  globe  of  glowing 
ruby,  and  its  ghicle  on  the  sea  looked  as  if  the  water  had 
been  strewn,  almost  enough  to  conceal  it,  with  a  crystal- 
line ruby  dust,  or  with  fine  mineral  spicules  of  vermilion 
bordering  upon  crimson.  The  peculiarity  of  this  ruddy 
dust  was  that  it  seemed  to  possess  body,  and,  while  it 
glowed,  did  not  in  the  smallest  degree  dazzle, — as  if  the 
brilliancy  of  each  ruby  particle  came  from  the  heart  of  it 
rather  than  from  the  surface.  The  effect  was  in  truth 
indescribable,  and  I  try  to  suggest  it  with  more  sense  of 
helplessness  than  I  have  felt  hitherto  in  preparing  these 
papers.  It  was  beautiful  beyond  expression, — any  ex- 
pression, at  least,  which  is  at  my  command. 

"  Such  a  spectacle,  I  suppose,  one  might  chance  to  see 
anywhere,  though  the  chance  certainly  never  occurred 
to  me  before.  It  could  scarcely  have  escaped  me  through 
want  of  attention,  for  I  could  wen  oelieve  myself  a  child 
of  the  sun,  so  deep  an  appeal  to  my  feeling  is  made  by 
effects  of  light  and  color  :  light  before  all. 

"  But  the  atmosphere  of  Labrador  has  its  own  secret 
of  beauty,  and  charms  the  eye  with  aspects  which  one 
may  be  pardoned  for  believing  incomparable  in  their 
way.  The  blue  of  distant  hills  and  mountains,  when  ob- 
served in  clear  sunshine,  is  subtile  and  luminous  to  a 
degree  that  surpasses  admiration.  I  have  seen  the  Cam- 
den Heights  across  the  waters  of  Penobscot  Bay  when 
their  blue  was  equally  profound  ;  for  these  hills,  beheld 
over  twenty  miles  or  more  of  sea,  do  a  wonderful  thing 
in  the  way  of  color,  lifting  themselves  up  there  through 
all  the  long  summer  days,  a  very  marvel  of  solemn  and 
glorious  beauty.  The  .^gean  Sea  has  a  charm  of  at- 
mosphere which  is  wanting  to  Penobscot   Bay,  but  the 


'         :l 


%      1 


,li 


■■if; 


*'  Is- 


h!  it 


T--r»' 


212        A   SUMMERS  CRUISE  TO   NORTHERN   LABRADOR. 

hue  of  its  heights  cannot  compare  with  that  of  the  Cam- 
den Hills.  Those  of  Labrador,  however,  maintain  their 
supremacy  above  even  these — above  all.  They  look 
frozen  sky.  Or  one  might  fancy  that  a  vast  heart  or 
core  of  amethyst  was  deeply  overlaid  with  colorless 
crystal,  and  shone  through  with  a  softened,  lucent  ray. 
Such  transparency,  such  intense  delicacy,  such  refine- 
ment of  hue  !  Sometimes,  too,  there  is  seen  in  the  deep 
hollows  between  the  lofty  billows  of  blue,  a  purple  that 
were  fit  to  clothe  the  royalty  of  immortal  kings,  while 
the  blue  itself  is  flecked  as  it  were  with  a  spray  of  white 
l5gh^.,  .vhich  one  might  guess  to  be  a  precipitate  of  sun- 
shine. 

•  Thi :  \is  wonderful  ;  but  more  wonderful  and  most 
wonderful  was  to  come.  It  was  given  me  once  and  once 
again  to  look  on  a  vision,  an  enchantment,  a  miracle  of 
all  but  impossible  beauty,  incredible  until  seen,  and 
ev^en  when  seen  scarcely  to  be  credited,  save  by  an  act  of 
faith.  We  had  sailed  up  a  deep  bay  and  cast  anchor  in 
a  fine  large  harbor  of  the  exactest  horse-shoe  shape.  It 
was  bordered  immediately  by  a  gentle  ridge  some  three 
ihundred  feet  high,  which  was  densely  wooded  with 
spruce,  fir,  and  larch.  Beyond  this  ridge  to  the  west 
rose  mountainous  hills,  while  to  the  south,  where  was 
the  head  of  the  harbor,  it  was  overlooked  immediately 
by  a  broad,  noble  mountain.  It  had  been  one  of  those 
white-skied  days  when  the  heavens  are  covered  by  a  uni- 
form filmy  fleece,  and  the  light  comes  as  if  it  had  been 
filtered  through  milk.  But  just  before  sunset  this  fleece 
was  rent,  and  a  river  of  sunshine  streamed  across  the 
ridge  at  the  head  of  the  harbor,  leaving  the  mountain 
beyond,  and  the  harbor  itself  with  its  wooded  sides,  still 


8;. 


A   LABRADOR    LANDSCAPE. 


213 


in  shadow.  And  where  that  shine  fell,  the  foliage 
changed  from  green  to  a  glowing,  luminous  red^brown, 
expressed  with  astonishing  force, — not  a  trace,  not  a 
hint  of  green  remaining  !  Beyond  it  the  mountain  pre- 
served its  whited  gray  ;  nearer,  on  either  side,  the  woods 
stood  out  in  clear  green  ;  and,  separated  from  these  by 
the  sharpest  line,  rose  this  ridge  of  enchanted  forest. 
You  will  incline  to  think  that  one  might  have  seen 
through  this  illusion  by  trying  hard  enough.  But  never 
were  the  colors  in  a  paint-pot  more  definite  and  deter- 
mined. 

"  This  was  but  the  beginning.  I  had  turned  away,  and 
was  debating  with  myself  whether  some  such  color,  seen 
on  the  Scotch  and  English  hills,  had  not  given  the  hint  for 
those  uniform  browns  which  Turner  in  his  youth  copied 
from  his  earlier  masters.  When  I  looked  back,  the 
sunshine  had  flooded  the  mountain,  and  was  bathing  it 
all  in  the  purest  rose-red.  Bathing  it?  No,  the  moun- 
tain was  solidly  converted,  transformed  to  that  hue  !  The 
power,  the  simplicity,  the  translucent,  shining  depth  of 
the  color  were  all  that  you  can  imagine,  if  you  make  no 
abatements  and  task  your  imagination  to  the  utmost. 
This  roseate  hue  no  rose  in  the  garden  of  Orient  or 
Occident  ever  surpassed.  Small  spaces  were  seen  where 
the  color  became  a  pure  ruby,  which  could  not 
have  been  more  lustrous  and  intense  had  it  proceeded 
from  a  polished  ruby  gem  ten  rods  in  dimension.  Color 
could  go  no  farther.  Yet  if  the  eye  lost  these  for  a  mo- 
ment, it  was  compelled  somewhat  to  search  for  them, — ■ 
so  powerful,  so  brilliant  was  the  rose  setting  in  which 
they  were  embosomed. 

"One  must  remember  how  near  at  hand  all  this  was 


!■! 


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214 


A   SUMMEUS   CRUISE   TO    NORTHERN'    LAIJRADOR. 


— not  more  tlian  a  mile  or  two  away.  Rock,  cavern,  cliff, 
all  the  details  of  rounded  swell,  rising  peak,  and  long- 
descending  slope  could  be  seen  with  entire  distinctness. 
The  mountains  rose  close  upon  us,  broad,  massive,  real 
— but  all  in  this  glorious,  this  truly  ineffable  transforma- 
tion. It  was  not.  distance  that  lent  enchantment  here* 
It  was  not  /en^/  it  was  real  as  rock,  as  Nature  ;  it  con- 
fronted, outfaced,  overwhelmed  you  ;  for  enchantment 
so  immediate  and  on  such  a  scale  of  grandeur  and  gor- 
geousness — who  could  stand  up  before  it  ? 

"  In  sailing  out  of  the  bay  next  day,  we  saw  this  and 
the  neighbor  mountain  under  noon  sunshine  (lat.  55° 
20').  They  were  the  handsomest  we  saw,  apparently 
composed  in  part  of  some  fine  mineral,  perhaps  pure 
labradorite.  In  the  full  light  of  day  these  spaces 
shone  like  polished  silver.  My  first  impression  was  that 
they  must  be  patches  of  snow,  but  a  glance  at  real  spots 
of  snow  corrected  me.  These  last,  though  more  dis- 
tinctly white,  had  not  the  high,  soft,  silver  shine  of  the 
mineral.  Doubtless  it  was  these  mountain-gems  which, 
under  the  magic  touch  of  sunset  light,  had  the  evening 
before  appeared  like  vast  rubies,  blazing  amidst  the  rose 
which  surrounded  them. 

*'  And  this  evening  the  spectacle  of  the  preceding 
one  was  repeated,  though  more  distantly  and  on  a  larger 

scale.     Ph thought  it  the  finer  of  the  two.     Far  away 

the  mountain  height  towered,  a  marvel  of  aerial  blue, 
while  broad  spurs  reaching  out  on  either  side  were 
clothed,  the  one  in  shiny  rose-red,  the  other  in  ethereal 
roseate  tints  superimposed  upon  azure ;  and  farther 
away,  to  the  southeast,  a  mountain  range  lay  all  in 
solid  carmine  along  the  horizon,  as  if  the  earth  blushed 


if 

I'  • 


!! 


AN    ARCTIC    I'TEKOPOl). 


215 


at  the  touch  of  heaven.  .  .  .  All  the  wildiiess  and 
waste,  all  the  sternest  desolations  of  the  whole  earth, 
brought  together  to  wed  and  enhance  each  other,  and 
then  relieved  by  splendor  without  equal,  perhaps,  in  the 
world, — that  is  Labrador." 

Nearly  all  the  next  day  was  spent  in  beating  down 
the  coast,  finding  ourselves  at  evening  off  our  old  haven. 
Strawberry  Harbor,  which  we  did  not  enter,  but  re- 
mained outside  of  it,  holding  on  to  the  rocks  in  twenty- 
five  fathoms  with  our  kedge.  We  lay  over  the  edge  of 
a  submarine  precipice,  or,  as  I  supposed,  a  rock  terrace 
or  shelf  like  those  ashore  ;  for  just  before  anchoring  the 
lead  reached  a  depth  of  forty  fathoms,  showing  quite 
plainly  that  the  terraced  character  of  the  rock,  which 
extends  up  the  shore  for  a  distance  of  perhaps  300  or 
400  feet,  also  extends  beneath  the  ocean  to  a  depth  of 
at  least  fifty  fathoms  or  three  hundred  feet,  thus  con- 
clusively proving  that  the  coast  had  once  been  much 
higher  than  at  present,  and  also  showing  how  little  the 
fioe-ice  had  smoothed  down  the  ocean-bottom  near 
shore. 

The  next  day  we  reached,  but  did  not  double.  Cape 
Webuc  (Harrison),  as  it  was  called,  in  the  afternoon,  and 
Mr.  Bradford  spent  every  available  moment  in  painting 
icebergs.  In  the  calm  water  we  met  with  great  num- 
bers of  that  interesting  and  curious  arctic  pteropod, 
Limacina  helici7ia ;  drawing  up  some  in  a  bucket  and 
placing  them  in  a  glass  of  sea-water,  the  beautiful  move- 
ments of  these  delicate  forms  could  be  seen.  They  were 
like  winged  sweet-peas — the  shape  of  the  body  and  color 
suggesting  the  resemblance.  It  had  not  previously  been 
recorded  as  occurrinjr  south  of  the  Greenland  seas.    The 


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2l6 


A   SUMMERS   CRUISE  TO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


fishermen,  who  had  never  seen  them  before  this  summer, 
said  that  the  cod  fed  on  them,  and  injured  the  fishery, 
but  all  tiiis  was  the  merest  nonsense.  We  hiy  to  among 
the  icebergs  all  night,  Bradford  vigorously  and  indefat- 
igably  at  work  every  spare  moment,  up  at  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  and  painting  the  next  day  until  a  fog 
closed  down  upon  the  scene  early  in  the  afternoon. 

The  succeeding  day  (the  8th)  we  ran  into  Sloop  Har- 
bor, where  we  dredged  in  ten  fathoms  and  drew  up  an 
interf^sting  arctic  Isopod  crustacean. 

On  the  9th  we  entered  Indian  Harbor,  where  lived 
a  Mr.  Norman,  who  was  carrying  on  an  extensive  fishery 
here,  though  this  year  it  was,  as  everywhere  else,  a 
failure,  the  men  at  Sloop  Harbor  having  to  go  thirty 
miles  for  bait.  The  salmon  fishery  was  also  pronounced 
equally  abortive,  only  two  hundred  tierces  having  been 
netted  in  all  Hamilton  Inlet,  whereas  that  amount  is 
usually  taken  at  a  single  point. 

The  scenery  here — trap-hills  and  dykes  giving  some 
strange  effects — was  unusually  picturesque,  and  Bradford 
was  busy  making  studies  and  photographs.  The  gneiss 
is  whitish  in  color,  gradually  sloping  in  rocky  terraces  to 
the  shore,  and  extending  under  the  fiord,  the  bowlder- 
laden,  smooth  bottom  being  perfectly  visible  at  the 
depth  of  six  or  eight  fathoms  ;  and  I  have  little  doubt  it 
could  have  been  distinguished  at  the  depth  of  ten  or 
even  fifteen  fathoms. 

Here  for  the  first  time  on  this  coast  were  to  be  seen 
undoubted  glacial  marks.  They  occurred  on  the  smooth 
ice-worn  rocks  about  twenty-five  feet  above  the  harbor, 
not  far  from  Norman's  house,  on  the  southern  side  of 
the   tickle.     They  were  lunate   impressions  varying  in 


^^^^^fl 


GLACIAL   MARKS. 


217 


length  from  five  to  twelve  inches,  descrihinor  a  curve  from 
three  to  nine  inches  deep,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the 
crescent  sunk  an  inch  deep  in  the  rocks.  The  iioUows 
of  the  crescents  opposed  the  northwest,  showing  tiiat 
the  glacier  which  produced  such  marks  must  have 
moved  from  the  land,  filling  the  great  bay  of  which  the 
fiord  was  an  arm,  and  were  sculptured  in  a  smooth, 
highly  polished  whitish  gneiss.  Tiie  rocky  shore  was 
above  the  reach  of  the  waves,  but  dampened  by  the 
surf  and  spray,  so  that  the  surface  was  entirely  free  of 
lichens,  which  covered  the  rock  farther  up  from  the 
water's  edge. 

That  these  were  genuine  glacial  marks  was  evident 
to  me  at  the  time,  and  afterward  sufficiently  proved  in 
my  own  mind  when  standing  on  the  summit  of  Bald- 
face  Mountain  near  Gilead,  Me.,  where  the  lunate  or 
crescentiform  marks  are  abundant. 

Ice  marks  have  also  been  noticed  by  Campbell  in  his 
*'  Frost  and  Fire."  * 

*  "The coast  is  now  rising  between  St.  John's  in  Newfoundland  and  Cape 
Harrison  in  Labrador.  Rocks  have  been  marked  and  the  marks  have  risen;  boats 
now  ground  on  solid  rocks  where  they  floated  twenty  years  ago;  rocks  which 
were  seldom  seen  now  seldom  disappear  at  high  tides;  harbors  are  shoaling; 
beds  of  common  shells  are  found  high  above  the  sea;  raised  beaches  are  seen 
on  hill-sides  in  sheltered  corners;  and  blocks  of  foreign  rock  are  perched  upon 
the  summits  of  islands  and  on  the  highest  hills  near  the  coast.  The  rocks  are 
much  weathered,  and  very  few  striae  were  found.  Those  which  were  found 
aimed  up-stream.  At  Indian  Island,  lat.  53^  30',  near  the  lat.  of  Hull,  they 
pointed  into  Davis's  Straits,  at  a  heigh"^  v'  ,00  feel  above  the  sea;  at  Red  Hay, 
in  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  they  aimto  N*.  45°  E.  at  the  sea-level.  In  winter 
the  sea  is  frozen  near  the  coast  to  a  thickness  of  eighteen  inches  or  more;  in 
spring  the  northern  ice  comes  down  in  vast  masses.  In  1864  this  spring  diiit 
was  150  miles  wide,  and  it  floated  past  Cape  Race.  From  a  careful  examination 
of  the  water-line  at  many  spots  it  appears  that  bay- ice  grinds  rock,  but  does  not 
produce  striation.  The  tops  of  conical  rocks  have  been  shorn  off.  The  shape 
of  the  country  is  a  result  of  denudation.  No  matter  what  the  dip  and  fracture  of 
the  stone  may  be,  the  coast  is  generally  worn  into  the  shape  known  as  '  roches 
moutonnees.'"     (Vol.  ii.  p.  236.) 


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218 


A    SUMMKKS    CRUISK   TO    NOKTIIKRN'    LAnRADOR. 


The  afternoon  of  the  lothwe  sijjhted  the  famihar  out- 
lines of  Tub  Island.  The  wind  was  southeast,  and  the 
next  day  it  was  too  stormy  to  allow  us  to  run  out ;  and 
€arly  in  the  sueeeeding  day  a  dry  northeast  ^ale  raged, 
but  eleared  off  suffieiently  in  the  afternoon  to  allow  us 
to    sail,   in    three  hours,  twenty-four  miles  Dumpiin 

Harbor,  where  dredging  was  profitable,  though  it  was 
cold  work  hauling  in  the  rope  in  the  northeast  wind. 

The  next  day  we  beat  against  a  southeast  wind  about 
twenty  miles  down  to  Cateau  Harbor,  passing  numerous 
headlands  on  which  raged  a  line  surf.  The  dredging  in 
this  harbor,  where  the  sea-bottom  was  sandy  and  j)rolitic 
in  worms,  shells,  a  id  Echinoderms,  was  excellent ; 
among  other  rarities  we  hauled  up  s|  ocimens  of  the 
arctic  holothurian  Jfyrioh^oi:/ius  Rink  i,  and  a  smaller 
simpler  sea-cucumber,  the  Eupyrgtis  :  abei',  ore  like  a 
small  faded  Martynia  than  a  cucumlx  r. 

The  14th  and  15th  continued  to  lie  stormy,  the  wind 
northerly,  with  more  or  less  fog,  jergs  and  floating  ice, 
making  it  dangerous  sailing,  '^'♦'^e  however  got  as  far  as 
Indian  Tickle,  where  was  the  large  '  and  best  appointed 
fishing  establishment  we  had  yet  visitea,  ?  elongingto  Mr. 
M.  H.  Warren,  who  lives  in  London  during  mi"  winter, 
spending  the  summer  here,  where  he  employs  tw.  hun- 
€red  and  fifty  men.  Here  the  salmon  fishery  had  beei.  a 
failure,  and  the  fishermen  complained  of  the  "  black  stuff" 
in  the  water,  the  delicate  and  interesting  Limacina — 
which  they  declared  "poisoned the  fish." 

At  noon  of  the  i6th,  when  the  fog  lifted,  a  northerly 
wind  carried  us  into  Domino  Harbor.  We  found  that 
there  was  some  trouble  at  the  "  rooms"  here  about  paying 
duties  on  produce  brought  upon   this  coast  by  traders. 


CUKI.KWS. 


219 


Tlific  l)cin^  no  representative  from  Laliiador,  which, 
however,  is  j)(>litieally  a  i)art  of  NewfounUland,  it  was 
chiimed  that  there  should  he  no  duties  ;  they  w»'re  there- 
fore paid  under  protest  to  tlie  judj^e  and  coUectcjr.  James 
Winter,  Es([.,  who  had  j)ul)hshed  umier  ilate  of  Nov. 
12th,  1863,  a  report  entitled  "  Impolicy  and  (Jhjection- 
ahle  Nature  of  Levying  Duties  upon  hread  and  Biscuit 
Imported  from  I  Iaml)urf»;h.      By  James  Winter." 

It  appears  that  he  had  left  Newfoundland  fSt.  John's) 
June  15th,  and  was  prevented  hy  the  ice  from  reachino 
Blanc  Sahlon  hefore  the  20th  of  July  ;  where  he  reported 
that  there  were  forty  vessels,  of  which  thirty-five  sailed 
from  Nova  Scotia,  the  remainder  heing^  vessels  belonging 
to  the  "rooms,"  and  which  l)rought  out  salt  and  manu- 
factured goods  fr<>m  England.  This  harbor  (Blanc 
Sablon)  is  perhaps  the  most  important  port  on  the  Labra- 
dor coast.  According  to  Winter's  report  the  trade  at 
Blanc  Sablon  is  very  extensive,  consisting  of  two  large 
supplying  and  fishing  establishments  belonging  to  Jersey, 
Messrs.  Boutellier  and  De  Quetteville  &  Co.,  and  two 
smaller  houses,  also  from.  Jersey,  engaged  in  the  fishery. 
This  is  the  chief  place  of  resort  of  the  large  number  of 
fishing-vessels  from  Nova  Scotia  and  other  colonies 
which  annually  arrive  at  Labrador. 

The  17th  was  spent  in  harbor  at  Domino,  which  to 
the  geologist  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  points  on  the 
coast.  While  walking  over  the  barren  Domino  gneiss 
worn  down  by  the  glaciers,  a  flock  of  twenty  five  curlews 
flew  overhead,  but  they  were  late,  as  was  everything  else 
this  year. 

The  1 8th  we  set  sail  from  Domino  Run  for  Henley 
Harbor  in  the  face  of  a  southerly  storm,  and  beat  to 


!  r 


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A   SUMMER  S   CRUISE   TO   NORTHERN    LABRADOR. 


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windward  all  day  in  the  fog  and  rain,  making  about 
thirty  miles.  We  passed  many  fine  icebergs,  some  of 
them  of  magnificent  proportions,  moving  down  the  coast 
in  a  stately  way,  while  others  were  left  stranded  close  in- 
shore. 

We  remained  outside  in  the  fog  through  the  night 
and  early  part  of  the  next  day  ;  took  a  northerly  storm 
in  the  afternoon,  and  lay  to  during  the  night  for  fear  of 
encountering  the  bergs  or  pieces  of  floating  ice. 

We  here  saw  in  a  large  school  of  humpback  and  fin 
whales  what  Captain  Handy  pronounced  to  be  a  sperm- 
whale  by  if^  "  spout,"  which  formed  a  single  short  stream 
of  vapor  curling  over  in  front  from  the  blow-hole,  which 
is  situated  at  the  end  of  the  nose.  Mr.  Pike  (at  Square 
Island)  told  us  thit  a  school  of  nin6  sperm-whales  used 
to  pass  annually  up  and  down  the  coast,  but  that  now 
only  five  of  them  were  remaining  ;  we  may  have  seen 
one  of  the  five. 

After  a  very  uncomfortable  night,  having  heaved  to 
in  the  darkness  in  a  heavy  swell  and  calm  to  avoid  col- 
liding with  the  ice,  which  in  scattered  bergs  and  floes 
surrounded  us,  we  finally  on  the  20th  ran  before  a  fresh 
northeasterly  gale  into  Henley  Harbor. 

Sunday  the  21st  was,  after  the  fog  had  cleared  away  in 
the  morning,  a  very  pleasant  day,  though  towards  night 
the  easterly  wind  again  brought  in  the  fog.  Colonel 
Amorv  and  myself  went  over  to  an  island  on  the  west 
side  of  the  harbor,  where  a  recent  severe  gale,  in  which 
three  vessels  had  been  driven  ashore,  had  washed  off  the 
soil  so  as  to  disclose  some  graves  supposed  to  be  those 
of  Eskimos.  We  dug  into  them,  finding  a  few  bones 
and  pieces  of  flannel ;  the  former  were  too  much  decayed 


ESKIMO   GRAVES. 


221 


to  be  of  any  value.  An  under-jaw  given  me  by  a  man 
who  lived  near  by  and  who  had  taken  it  from  the  graves 
had  double  teeth  (sic)  all  around,  the  front  teeth  being 
worn  down  to  the  gums,  the  two  jaws  not  overlapping 
(this  being  an  Eskimo  characteristic)  ;  the  jaw  resembled 
those  of  the  skulls  from  Hopedale.  There  were  several 
graves  formed  by  natural  fissures  in  the  rocks,  covered 
over  by  a  layer  of  stones,  with  soil  heaped  over  them, 
each  forming  a  sort  of  natural  dolmen.  No  one  knew 
about  them,  but  it  was  supposed  that  they  may  have  been 
the  graves  of  those  killed  in  a  battle  of  the  Eskimos  with 
the  Indians.  Battle  Point,  a  little  way  up  the  coast, 
commemorates  a  sanguinary  fight  between  these  two 
races  of  Labrador  aboriginals. 

I  now  learned  that  the  old  fort  situated  on  a  bluff  on 
the  terrace  previously  described  was  built  by  an  early 
settler  named  Greville,  who  held  out  one  winter  against 
the  wiles  of  the  Indians  until,  during  a  deep  snow-storm 
which  barred  up  the  cannon  of  the  fort  and  choked  up 
the  embrasures,  the  dusky  assailants  scaled  the  walls  and 
gained  entrance  within.  Our  inform.ant  said  that  Greville 
wrote  a  history  of  Labrador.  Near  the  fort  was  a  circular 
area  paved  closely  with  cobble-stones,  but  nearly  over- 
grown with  Empetrum,  which  was  said  to  have  been  the 
foundation  of  a  Nascopi  wigwam,  but  was  more  probably 
of  Eskimo  origin.  • 

The  2 2d  was  a  fine  day  but  nearly  calm,  and  the  fore- 
noon was  spent  with  the  insect-net  in  hand.  The  cur- 
lews were  quite  abundant,  perhaps  a  hundred  being  seen. 
After  dinner  we  hauled  up  anchor,  and  Bradford  went 
out  in  searci;  of  icebergs.  Two  small  bergs  were  seen 
near  the  southern  end  of  Belle  Isle  and  farther  down  the 


i  ii-,; 


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222 


A   SUMMERS   CRUISE   TO    NORTHERN   LABRADOR. 


If-;  !  ■ 


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Strait  ;  one  of  them  broke  to  pieces  during  the  nighty 
and  we  afterwards  saw  the  fragments  floating  upon  the 
water  some  miles  inshore.  We  lay  all  night  becalmed 
six  or  seven  miles  from  shore,  drifting  slowly  down  the 
Strait  with  the  Labrador  current ;  before  night  I  dredged 
in  from  forty  to  fifty  fathoms  on  a  hard,  pebbly  bottom, 
bringing  up  besides  the  common  red  seaweed  {Ptilota) 
only  a  shrimp  or  two. 

Towards  noon  of  the  follovvin^  day  a  steady  easterly 
breeze  carried  us  down  the  Strait,  and  we  lay  to  in  the 
fog  all  night,  until  after  breakfast  of  the  24th  it  lifted 
somewhat  and  we  found  ourselves  near  Whale  Island, 
three  miles  west  of  Whiteley's,  and  by  eleven  had  for- 
tunately worked  into  the  harbor  of  Salmon  Bay  off  John 
Goddard's  house  near  Caribou  Island.  We  went  to  Rev. 
Mr.  Carpenter's  mission  house  for  our  letters,  and  were 
glad  enough  to  accept  his  hospitality  that  night,  not  only 
as  a  pleasant  change  from  sleeping  in  a  bunk,  but  to 
renew  an  agreeable  acquaintance. 

I  collected  more  Quaternary  fossils  from  the  beach, 
though  it  rained  and  blew  hard  all  day.  We  learned 
that  the  weather  here  had  been  pleasanter  than  "to  the 
nor'ard,"  and  that  though  the  cod  fishery  had  been  "  bad," 
it  was  now  beginning  to  "  look  up."  The  stormy  season 
was  now  about  to  set  in,  and  it  was  high  time  that  such 
craft  as  ours  should  leave  the  coast.  •  No  sail-boats  can 
be  used  here  with  safety  after  the  middle  of  September, 
the  autumn  winds  are  so  gusty,  with  calms  and  sudden 
flaws.  Only  the  small  sails  of  the  Newfoundland  vessels 
and  their  large  crews  enable  them  to  coast  along  this 
region  after  that  date. 

On    the   25th    we   fairly  got    under  way   for    home, 


mmmm 


THE    MAGDALEN    ISLANDS. 


225 


taking  the  tail  end  of  yesterday's  storm,  though  before 
the  anchor  was  weighed  I  did  some  good  dredging, 
bringing  up  among  other  notable  creatures  Trito^iofusiis 
cretacetis.  On  the  whole  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  pre- 
sented the  most  varied  and  rich  dredging  grounds  I  met 
with  on  the  coast.  We  now  had  before  us  a  run  of  340 
miles  from  Salmon  Bay  to  the  Gut  of  Canso,  it  being  80 
miles  from  Bird  Rock  to  the  latter  strait.  At  about  five 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  27th  the  wind  hauled  into  the 
southeast  and  freshened  into  a  gale  of  wind  during  the 
night ;  it  was  very  thick,  but  there  was  no  rain.  We 
lost  our  reckoning  and  came  near  running  ashore  between 
Bird  Rock  and  Byron  Island,  making  seven  fathoms* 
sounding  twice  ;  moreover,  the  forecastle  stove  u[)set, 
and  the  floor  got  on  fire,  so  that  between  the  danger  of 
shipwreck  and  of  fire  we  had  an  anxious  night. 

On  Sunday  morning,  the  28th,  we  ran  under  jib  and 
reefed  mainsail  past  Bird  Rock  to  the  westward  of  the 
Magdalen  Islands,  just  seeing  land  through  the  thick  rain 
and  mist  and  driving  spray,  and  part  of  the  time  a  cold 
sleet.  The  water  came  in  over  our  rail ;  things  above 
and  below  were  knocked  about  a  good  deal,  and  some 
bilge-water  leaked  into  the  cabin.  At  2  p.m.,  however, 
the  gale  broke,  the  rain  abated,  and  after  a  while  the 
sun  broke  through  the  clouds  and  lighted  up,  intensify- 
ing the  rich  red  hues  of  the  long,  low  shores  of  the 
Magdalen  Islands.  Here  for  the  first  time  we  seiw  the 
fish  hawk,  while  the  gannets,  glorious  birds  while  on 
the  wing,  were  diving  from  far  aloft  for  mackerel,  or 
soaring  up  among  the  low  rain-clouds.  The  29th  was 
warm  and  pleasant,  and  we  passed  many  sails,  some 
going  to  the  Magdalen  Islands,  but  most  of  them  converg- 


I'i    i- 


w 


i 


i  I 

iff 


^i; 


r 


^■   n  iii; 


224        A  summer's  cruise  to   northern  LABRADOR. 

ing  like  a  flock  of  sea-birds  towards  the  Gut  of  Canso. 
About  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  we  lost  sight  of 
Deadman's  Island,  the  southernmost  point  of  the  Mag- 
•dalens,  and  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  sighted  the 
Prince  Edward's  Islands,  and  soon  after  espied  Cape 
Breton  Island. 

We  expected  to  reach  Port  Mulgrave  early  the  next 
morning,  but  our  hopes  of  letters,  papers,  fresh  potatoes, 
and  beef  on  the  morrow  were  dashed  to  the  ground,  as 
soon  after  sunset  we  were  becalmed  and  had  to  come  to 
anchor  within  six  miles  of  that  delectable  haven.  We 
got  into  Port  Mulgrave  the  next  morning,  when  six  of 
our  passengers  left  to  return  home  overland. 

We  left  Port  Mulgrave  on  the  morning  of  the  ist 
September,  passed  Halifax  light  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
next  evening,  and  at  half-past  seven  in  the  evening  of 
the  3d  sighted  Thatcher  Island  light,  and  ran  up  to  our 
pier  at  Boston  the  next  morning. 

A  few  words  as  to  the  scientific  results  of  our  voyage. 
Although  we  failed  to  reach  Cape  Chidley  and  to  see  the 
higher  Moravian  mission  stations  and  Eskimos,  or  to  do 
much  dredging  in  water  over  fifty  fathoms  in  depth,  yet 
every  possible  facility  was  afforded  me  by  Mr.  Bradford, 
and  the  results  of  the  voyage  were  perhaps  of  some  j^ervice 
to  science.  Our  geological  notes  of  the  coast  were 
fuller  than  any  yet  published ;  over  seventy-five  raised 
beaches  were  discovered  ;  glacial  phenomena  of  interest 
were  observed,  and  the  fact  of  the  recent  glaciation  of 
the  northeastern  part  of  the  Labrador  peninsula  was 
for  the  first  time  proved.  Dredgings  were  made  among 
the  islands  from  Mecatina  to  Hopedale,  and  a  consider- 
able number  of  new  species  of  marine  invertebrates,  as 


^VT.^50? 


1«  0  £ilU^r(a%»oa]b 


Ayvaraluk 


tlf 


,0^^'^ 


U^^jO^*--^" 


_^jl,ieoU<-«^^ 


V) 


\i 


£i 


Lahkadok.     (From  the  British  Admiralty  Map  No.  663.) 


'!    1 


lidiii 


i   ■     '     jilt , 


I 


RESULTS  OF  THE  VOYAGE. 


225 


well  as  insects,  secured,  while  it  was  made  evident  that 
the  polar  fauna  and  flora,  both  land  and  marine,  extends 
southward  into  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  many  inter- 
esting arctic  forms  occurring  which  had  never  before 
been  dredged  south  of  Baffin's  Bay  ;  valuable  data  were 
also  obtained  showing  that  the  life  along  the  coast  of 
Maine  during  the  Leda  epoch  of  the  glacial  period  was 
nearly  identical  with  that  of  the  Labrador  coast,  and 
that  the  alpine  fauna  and  flora  of  Mt.  Washington  in 
New  Hampshire  is  a  remnant  of  the  Labrador  assem- 
blage of  plants  and  animals ;  notes  of  interest  on  the 
distribution  of  the  fish  and  mammals  were  obtained,  par- 
ticularly of  the  walrus,  white  bear,  and  narwhale,  while 
the  collections  of  insects  were  tolerably  complete,  en- 
abling us  to  compare  the  Labrador  insect  fauna  with 
that  of  Norway,  Sweden,  and  the  Alps  of  Switzerland. 

A  voyage  to  the  Labrador  coast  is  an  exceedingly 
healthful  one ;  its  interest  to  the  sportsman  would  be 
enhanced  if,  in  a  steam-yacht  and  launches,  the  salmon 
streams  could  be  explored  and  the  game  reached.  But 
for  lovers  of  grand  coast  scenery,  famous  for  its  peculiar 
wildness  and  far-reaching  desolation,  and  which  is  only 
inferior  to  that  of  Norway,  we  recommend  a  cruise  to 
Northern  Labrador. 


'^iiii 


I 


M  1 


I      ! 


I    '■ 


CHAPTER  XI. 


RECENT     EXPLORATIONS. 


Nlii: 


li    •! 


Of  late  years  fresh  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  ex- 
ploration of  the  Labrador  Peninsula.  Dr.  Franz  Boas 
has  published  in  "Science"  for  Feb.  17,  1888,  "  Notes 
on  the  Geography  of  Labrador,"  which  contains  refer- 
ence to  explorations  in  this  country  undertaken  within 
a  few  years.  Dr.  Boas,  it  appears  to  us,  erroneously 
states  that  the  MS.  map  by  Rev.  S.  Weiz,  which  we 
used  in  the  compilation  of  the  map  in  the  present  vol- 
ume (originally  published  in  the  Bulletin  of  the  Ameri- 
can Geographical  Society),  "was  published  in  January^ 
1869,  in  the  Missionsblatt  aus  der  Brudergemei7ide'' 
The  MS.  map  loaned  us  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Latrobe  must 
have  been  a  later  one,  with  corrections,  as  it  differs  in 
a  number  of  essential  points,  as  may  be  seen  if  any 
one  will  examine  the  copy  of  the  Moravian  map  pub- 
lished in  "■  Science,"  and  also  previously  in  the  Missions- 
blatt, with  that  in  this  book ;  for  example,  VVeiz's 
earlier  published  map  represents  Killinek,  near  Cape 
Chidley,  as  one  large  island,  whereas  in  our  map  the 
Killinek  of  1869  is  represented  by  two  large  islands. 
Also,  Nachvak  Inlet,  Saeglek  Bay,  and  the  inlet  on 
which  Hebron  is  situated  are  very  different  in  the  two 

*  This  map  is  here  reproduced,  thanks  to  the  publishers  of  "  Science." 

226 


iUSt 

in 


\ 


;:;:ir ''^ 


f     •: 


I  4 


f  ■;:.  i 


{'is 


TIIK    INTKRIOK    OF    LABRADOR. 


227 


maps  ;  while  no  mountain  lanj^es  were   inserted  in   the 
London  MS.  map  of  Mr.  Weiz. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  interior  of  Northern  Labrador 
has  been  somewhat  extended  by  Dr.  R.  Koch,  who 
wintered  in  Nain  m  1882-83,  his  brief  but  interesting 
account  being  published  in  the  Deutsche  Geographische 
i^Ayy/^T  (Band  VII.  Heft  2,  1884,  pp.  151-163).  The 
Eskimos  in  the  spring  go  after  reindeer  in  sledges  from 
Nain  to  the  plateau  of  the  interior,  which  is  reached 
after  a  journey  of  four  or  five  days,  at  the  rate  of  thirty 
English  miles  a  day,  through  fiord-like  valleys.  After 
one  or  two  days  more  the  height  of  land  is  reached. 
This  water-shed  approaches  the  shore  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  peninsula,  being  only  one  day's  journey  dis- 
tant from  Rama,  which  is  the  northernmost  Moravian 
station,  being  situated  in  lat.  N.  58"  52'  54  .  From 
this  water-shed  arise  the  rivers  Koaksoak  and  Kangerd- 
lualuksoak  (George  River),  which  flow  into  Ungava 
Bay.  This  water-shed  terminates  in  Killinek,^nd  its 
outliers  form  the  Button  Islands.  The  narrower  the 
mountainous  district  becomes,  the  higher  it  is.  Near 
Hopedale  the  mountains,  so  far  as  Koch  could  see  from 
looking  inland,  rise  only  a  few  hundred  feet ;  while  at 
Nain  the  mountains  close  by  the  sea  are  from  800  to 
1,200  feet  high.  The  Kiglnpait,  or  Saw-teeth  Mountains, 
between  Nain  and  Okkak,  have  an  elevation  of  several 
thousand  feet  (2,000,  according  to  the  British  y\dmi- 
ralty  chart).  Kaumajat  (Shining  Mountain),  situ;ited 
south  of  Hebron,  reaches  this  height  (see  p.  9).  Al- 
though Koch  has  added  nothing  materially  new  to  the 
information  given  in  the  first  chapter  of  this  book,  we 
may  add  that  he  states  that  north  of  Hebron  the  coun- 


I     1 


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I  • 


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SIfc 


hi 


'II 


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228 


RPXENT   EXI'LORAIIONS. 


try  is  alpine  in  character,  the  mountains  risinjr  ahiiost 
vertically  from  the  sea  ;  but  althou<;h  the  peaks  attain 
a  jjreat  height,  there  are  no  ice-fields  and  shinin^j  snow- 
clad  peaks;  at  the  most,  snow-fields  and  miniature 
glaciers.  Deep,  narrow  fiords  (Sorviluck,  NuUatarkok, 
and  Nachvak)  cut  into  the  coast,  which  is  not  along 
here  sheltered  by  islands  from  the  heavy  swell  of  the 
ocean.  While  south  of  Hebron  numerous  islands  lie 
scattered  off  the  mouths  of  the  bays,  northerly  from 
Komaktorvik  there  are  numerous  islands  and  very  dan- 
gerous cliffs,  the  Naviarutsit  and  Nuvurutsit,  which  ex- 
tend up  to  Ikkerasak  Torksuk,  viz.,  the  great  thorough- 
fare, abounding  in  whirlpools,  of  the  Eskimo  to  Un- 
gava  Bay. 

Near  Rama,  Koch  ascended  a  mountain  2,600  feet 
in  height.  He  describes  the  scene  as  very  grand:  "  At 
my  feet  I  saw  the  deep,  bluish-green  fiord  surrounded 
by  steep,  wall-like  cliffs.  The  mountains  were  covered 
with  shrubs  colored  red  by  the  first  frost  of  the  season. 
To  the  left  spreads  the  dark-blue  ocean,  with  its  green- 
ish-white icebergs.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  fiord, 
:and  towards  the  west,  extended  steep  and  ragged  moun- 
tains and  narrow,  gorge-like  valleys,  in  one  of  them  a 
dark  lake,  the  water  of  which,  black  as  ink,  reflected 
the  high  peaks.  In  the  interior  I  saw  mountains  rising 
to  still  greater  heights,  and  covered  wii.  •"  esh  snow, 
extending  north  and  south  as  f:"  1  could  see.  The 
highest  points  of  this  lange  ar  pposite  tl  island  of 
Aulatsivik,  and  reach  elevations  uf  from  8,000  to  9,000 
feet.  While  mountains  less  than  1,500  or  2,oc)o'feet  in 
height  are  rounded,  and  bear  evidence  of  having  bt    ti 


1-AHKAI)()K    MOUNTAINS   AND    RIVKKS. 


229 


covered  by  glaciers,  the  ragged  forms  of  the  higher 
mountains  show  no  such  sii^-ns." 

All  the  lower  mountains  have  rounded,  often  smoothly 
polished,  summits,  and  are  covered  with  numberless  frag- 
ments of  other  stones,  differin<j:  jj^reatly  in  size,  ;i3k1  not 
arranj^cd  into  moraines,  but  scattered  over  mountains 
and  valleys,  and  often  lying  in  the  strangest  positions. 
The  summits  of  the  highest  mountains,  on  the  contrary, 
are  split  by  the  frost  into  sharp,  rugged,  enormous 
teeth. 

Koch  then  describes  a  typical  valley  near  Nain,  one  near 
the  Kauk  (the  Cliff),  into  which  tlows  the  Kaubkonga 
(Kauk  River).  Passing  out  from  the  mouth  pf  the 
winding  valley,  the  stream,  often  broken  into  raj)ids, 
ends  in  a  water-fall  about  forty  feet  high,  which  plunges 
into  a  lake,  the  Ekkalulik  (viz.,  the  place  where  there 
are  trout),  into  which  two  streams  open,  the  Kaubkonga 
and  the  Jordan.  The  two  rivers  flow  by  rapids  out 
of  different  lakes,  the  Jordan  out  of  the  Tessialuk 
(Breeches  Lake  of  the  missionaries),  the  Kaubkonga 
out  of  the  Tachardlek  (Star  Lake).  Beyond  these  are 
four  other  lakes,  connected  by  short  streams  broken 
into  rapids  and  cataracts,  and  which  lead  up  to  the 
Kairtoksoaks,  where  the  streams  take  their  origin. 
The  Kaubkonga  is  a  relatively  strong  stream,  but  is 
a  type  of  all  the  Labrador  rivers,  being  a  chain  of  lakes 
connected  by  rapids  or  cataracts.  "  All  the  streams,  so 
far  as  I  have  observed,  at  least  those  which  flow  into 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  have  this  peculiarity  :  evidently  the 
corroding  action  of  the  water  during  the  short  summer 
has  not  not  been  sufficient  during  the  short  time  which 


"I  I 


ill 


i; 


Hill 


I -'It; 


it 


i       : 


t  '>! 


I  .  i 


230 


UECENT    KXPl.OkA'riONS. 


has  elapsed  since  the  meltiiifi^  away  of  the  glacial  cover- 
ing to  wear  the  river-valleys  into  continuous  courses." 

Koch  also  observed  raised  beaches  from  10  to  30 
metres  in  height  above  the  sea,  and  from  all  his  obser- 
vations he  concludes  that  after  theglaciation  of  the  coast 
there  was  a  depression  of  the  land,  as  proved  by  the  old 
beaches,  followed  in  recent  times  by  a  slow  upheaval. 

Some  additional  information  regarding  Northern  Lab- 
rador, says  Dr.  Boas,  is  contained  in  the  publications  of 
the  reports  of  the  German  polar  stations  of  the  interna- 
tional system.  "  Since  Koch's  visit  to  Labrador,  meteor- 
ological observations  are  being  made  at  all  missionary 
stations  of  the  Labrador  coast,  which  are  of  particular 
value  as  filling  the  wide  gap  between  the  system  of  Can- 
ada and  the  Danish  stations  in  Greenland." 

We  have  already  on  page  7  given  a  brief  account  of 
Dr.  Bell's  observations  made  in  1884  on  the  physical 
geography  of  the  extreme  northern  coast  of  Labrador. 

More  recently  the  commissioner  of  crown  lands  of 
Quebec  has  sent  surveyors  who  have  explored  the  nu- 
merous rivers  emptying  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  Mr.  C. 
E.  Forgues  having  surveyed  the  rivers  St.  John,  Mingan, 
Natashquan,  and  Esquimaux.  During  the  summer  of 
1887  the  missionary  Edmund  James  Peck  succeeded  in 
crossing  Labrador  from  Richmond  Bay  to  Ungava  Bay, 
but  as  yet  no  account  of  what  must  have  been  a  very 
interesting  journey  has  appeared.  Dr.  Boas  adds  that 
*'  Green  Island,  in  Hudson  Bay,  as  shown  on  Packard's 
map,  does  not  exist  according  to  observations  made  by 
Gordon  on  his  expeditions  to  Hudson  Bay.  The  archives 
of  the  Department  of  Marines  of  France  possess  a  number 


HOLME  S   EXPLORATIONS. 


231 


of  manuscript  maps  of  Hudson  Strait,  wliicii.  however, 
have  not  been  published." 

Very  full  and  detailed  information  re(;ardin<r  the  re- 
gion of  Fort  Chimo  is  contained  in  the  report  of  Mr.  L. 
M.  Turner  to  the  U.  S.  Signal  Bureau,  which  has  not 
yet  been  published.  But  until  sorhe  explorers  cross  the 
peninsula  from  Fort  Chimo  to  Nain  or  Hopedale,  and 
also  ascend  the  Esquimaux  River  to  its  source,  we  shall 
be  much  in  the  dark  regarding  the  nature  of  the  interior 
of  Labrador.  An  attempt  to  penetrate  the  interior  from 
the  head  of  Eskimo  Bay  (Lake  Melville)  was  made  in 
1887  by  Mr.  Randle  F.  Holme,  whose  interesting  ac- 
count, illustrated  by  an  excellent  map  of  the  entire  Lab- 
rador peninsula,  appeared  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society,  April,  1888.  We  have  found  his 
map  of  great  service  in  compiling  that  of  Southern  Lab- 
rador in  the  present  book. 

Mr.  Holme  tells  us  that  on  one  occasion  Pere  Lacasse, 
the  Roman  Catholic  niissionaiy  to  the  Indians,  journeyed 
from  Mingan  to  Northwest  River  by  the  Mingan  and 
Kenamou  rivers,  and  from  Northwest  l^iver  to  Ungava 
by  the  Nascopee  and  Waquash  rivers. 

Mr.  Holme  ascended  the  Grand  River,  which  empties 
into  Aivuktok  Bay,  as  far  as  Lake  VVaminikapou,  his 
point  of  departure  being  the  Hudson  Bay  post  of  Uigolet. 
After  exploring  the  mouths  of  Gudder's  Bight  River,  of 
the  Kenamish,  the  Kenamou,  and  the  Travespines  River, 
Mr.  Holme  ascended  the  Grand  River  150  miles,  to  a 
point  within  50  miles  of  the  Grand  Falls,  whose  height 
is  unknown,  but  which  he  regards  as  with  little  doubt 
"  the  most  stupendous  falls  in  the  world."  The  river  is 
said  by  Maclean  to  be  500  yards   broad  above  the  falls. 


1 1 


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1 5  . 


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J  I 


^il 


232. 


RECENT  EXPLORATIONS. 


^ 


contracting  to  50  yards  at  the  falls  themselves.  We  are 
not  satisfied  with  Mr.  Holme's  estimate  of  the  probable 
height  of  these  falls ;  their  exploration  would  certainly 
reward  any  one  who  is  sufficiently  enterprising  and  has 
sufficient  knowledge  of  geology  and  natural  history  to 
make  the  journey  profitable. 

In  regard  to  the  canoe  route  from  the  Strait  of  Belle 
Isle  up  the  Esquimaux  River  to  Lake  Melville,  we  may 
add  that  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Carpenter  kindly  obtained  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1888-89  the  following  notes  from  Mr. 
W.  H.  Whiteley,  who  has  spent  many  summers  at  Bonne 
Esperance,  a  little  island  at  the  mouth  of  this  river,  and 
can  speak  with  authority,  as  he  is  "  the  most  intelligent 
and  reliable  man  on  the  whole  coast,"  and  is  the  magis- 
trate of  this  section  of  the  Labrador  coast 

"  About  Esquimaux  River,  from  all  I  have  been  able 
to  gather  from  the  Indians,  I  think  that  there  is  a  large 
plateau  in  the  interior  about  five  days'  walk,  for  an  In- 
dian, from  our  place,  probably  about  250  miles.  They 
can  walk  from  Bonne  Esperance  to  Rigolet  in  ten  days, 
so  they  say.  They  tell  us  that  St.  Augustine  River  rises 
from  the  same  lake  as  Esquimaux  River,  but  I  think 
they  mean  the  same  level  plateau.  The  interior  of  Lab- 
rador is  wholly  water  ;  certainly  four  fifths  of  the  surface 
is  cut  up  into  small  ponds  and  lakes,  which  makes  trav- 
elling except  by  water  impossible  unless  in  winter  ; 
when  on  the  ice  one  can  make  a  straight  course,  and  I 
suppose  this  accounts  for  the  intense  cold  for  such  enor- 
mous bodies  of  ice,  for  the  lakes  are  mostly  shoal  and 
freeze  to  the  bottom,  making  a  huge  ice-house  of  Labra- 
dor all  the  spring  months,  aHd,  as  you  know,  well  up 
into  the  summer." 


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St 


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TOI 


STEAM   COMMUNICATION   WITH   LABRADOR. 


235 


The  means  of  communication  with  Labrador  from 
England  is  by  steamer  to  Newfoundland,  whence  mail 
steamers  make  at  least  two  trips  each  summer  from  St. 
John's  along  the  Labrador  coast  as  far  north  as  Nain, 
while  the  steamer  goes  as  far  west  as  Bonne  Esp(§rance 
in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle.  Mr.  Holme  states  that 
"  new  and  superior  steamers  are  being  built  for  the 
coastal  service  from  St.  John's,  and  will  begin  to  run 
this  summer"  (1888).  Steamers  also  ran  during  the 
summer  of  1890  once  a  fortnight  from  Halifax  through 
Cape  Breton  Island  along  the  western  coast  of  New- 
foundland, touching  at  Blanc  Sablon.  There  is  also 
communication  by  sailing-vessels  from  Quebec,  and  oc- 
casionally a  pleasure-party  from  Boston  or  some  other 
port  in  the  United  States  visits  the  Labrador  coast. 


.  I 


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CHAI^TER  XII. 

A     GLANCE    AT    THE    CIVIL     HISTORY     OF    LABRADOR,   WITH 
AN  ACCOUNT  OF  ITS  FISHERIES. 

The  history  of  Labrador  can  be  told  in  few  words. 
The  permanent  residents  dwell  exclusively  on  the  coast, 
and,  as  a  rule,  in  the  more  sheltered  harbors  and  fiords. 
The  principal  settlements  on  the  shore  south  of  the 
Strait  of  Belle  Isle  are  Bonne  Esperance,  Forteau 
Point,  Blanc  Sablon,  Belles  Amours,  and  Henley  Har- 
bor, a  few  families  being  scattered  along  the  shore  be- 
tween these  points.  On  the  Atlantic  or  eastern  coast 
the  most  important  settlement  is  at  Battle  Harbor,  "a 
sheltered  roadstead  between  Battle  Island  and  Great 
Caribou  Island,  about  half  a  mile  in  length  and  quite 
narrow."  Farther  north  are  St.  Francis  Harbor,  Batteau 
Harbor,  Occasional  Harbor,  Square  Island  Harbor, 
Domino  Run.  At  Cartwright  Bay  is  the  southernmost 
Hudson  Bay  Company's  post,  and  these  are  scattered 
along  at  rare  intervals  as  far  north  as  the  fiord  or  inlet 
of  Nachvak,  the  most  important  post  being  situated  at 
Rigolet  in  Melville  Bay,  while  at  Fort  Chimo  in  Un- 
gava  Bay  is  another  post  belonging  to  this  company. 

The  population  of  the  St.  Lawrence  coast  of  Labra- 
dor from  Port  Neuf  to  Blanc  Sablon  numbers  about 
4,400,  comprising  English,  and  French  of  Canadian  or 

234 


ttm 


TIIK    POPULATION    OF    LABRADOR.  23$ 

Acadian  origin,  who  subsist  chiclly  hy  tisiiing  and  hunt- 
ing. Of  the  whole  number  3.800  are  Roman  Catholics 
and  570  are  Protestants. 

In  the  scattered  settlements  north  of  the  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle  one  meets  with  Enolish,  Scotch,  and  Jersey 
sailors  or  their  descendants,  who  make  a  very  precarious 
livelihood  by  fishing  in  the  summer  and  fur-hunting  in 
the  winter.  The  map  at  the  end  of  this  chapter  will 
serve  as  a  directory  of  the  coast  from  Sandwich  Bay 
northward.  The  summer  or  tioating  population  of  Lab- 
rador is  estimated  at  about  30,000,  mostly  Newfound- 
landers. 

"  The  last  census  taken  by  the  government  of  New- 
foundland, in  1874,  gives  the  resident  population  from 
Blanc  Sablon  to  Cape  Harrison  as  2,  416.  Of  these 
1,489  belong  to  the  Church  of  England  ;  476  to  the 
Church  of  Rome  ;  285  arc  Wesleyans  ;  30  are  Presby- 
terians, and  126  belong  to  other  denominations.  Tiiere 
are  nine  places  of  worship  :  four  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, three  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  two  of  the  VVes- 
leyan  Church.*  According  to  Hatton  and  Harvey  the 
total  population  of  Labrador  was  in  1874  about  12,527, 
distributed  as  follows  : — 

On  the  St.  Lawrence  coast,  from  Port  Neuf  to  Blanc  Sablon  4,411 

On  the  Atlantic  coast,  white  population 2,416 

Eskimos 1,700 

Indians  of  the  Interior 4,000 

12,527 

By  a  more  recent  estimate  the  number  of  Eskimos  is 
placed  at  1,500  or  less.     It  is  also  probable,  judging  from 

*  Hatton  and  Harvey's  Newfoundland  ;  Boston,  1883,  p.  297. 


ii 


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IP      -^ 


236     A    GLANCE   AT   THK    CIVIL    HISTORY    OF   LABRADOR. 


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:;! 


newspaper  statements  of  famines  in  Labrador  due  ti> 
the  failure  of  the  fisheries  in  late  years,  that  the  white 
population  of  the  coast  has  been  somewhat  diminished, 
and  we  doubt  if  the  total  population  exceeds  12,000. 

For  the  followinj^^  brief  history  of  Labrador  we  are  in- 
debted to  the  chapter  on  Labrador  in  Hatton  and  Har- 
vey's excellent  work  on  Newfoundland. 

The  boundaries  between  Newfoundland  and  Canadian 
Labrador  are  thus  defined  in  the  "  Letters-Patent  Consti- 
tuting^ the  Office  of  Governor  and  Commander-in-chief  of 
the  Island  of  Newfoundland " :  "  We  have  thought  fit 
to  constitute  order  and  declare  that  there  shall  be  a  Gov- 
ernor and  Commander-in-chief  (hereinafter  called  our 
said  Governor)  in  and  over  our  Island  of  Newfoundland^ 
and  the  islands  adjacent,  and  all  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
from  the  entrance  of  Hudson's  Straits  to  a  line  to  be 
drawn  due  north  and  south  from  Anse  Sablon  on  the 
said  coast  to  the  fifty-second  degree  of  north  latitude,, 
and  all  the  islands  adjacent  to  that  part  of  the  said  coast 
of  Labrador,  as  also  of  all  forts  and  garrisons  erected  and 
established,  or  which  shall  be  erected  and  established, 
within  or  on  the  islands  and  coasts  aforesaid  (which  said 
islands  and  coast,  together  with  the  Island  of  Newfound- 
land, are  hereinafter  referred  to  as  our  said  colony),  and 
that  the  person  who  shall  fill  the  said  office  of  Governor 
shall  be  from  time  to  time  appointed  by  commission 
under  our  sign-manual  and  signet." 

In  1 864  the  boundaries  of  the  Newfoundland  portion 
of  Labrador  were  thus  defined  :*  "  The  western  limit  of 
the  government  of  Newfoundland   is  lat.    51"   25'   N., 

*  Appendix  to  the  "  Journal  of  the  House  of  Assembly,"  1864,  p.  613. 


THE    BOUNDARY    IJNK. 


237 


aOiio^.  57°  g'  W.,  and  includes  Blanc  Sablon  and  tlie 
Woody  Islands.  The  northern  boundary  is  Cape  Chud- 
leioh,  in  hit.  60°  37'  N.,  lonjr.  65"  W."  llatton  and 
Harvey  then  add :  "Thus  a  line  drawn  due  north  and 
south,  from  Blanc  Sablon  to  Cape  Chudlei^h,  constitutes 
tlie  boundary  between  the  two  jurisdictions."  If  the  read- 
er will  draw  the  line  on  the  niaj),  he  will  see  that  it  would 
include  only  a  thin  strip  of  the  coast  from  Blanc  Sablon 
to  Davis's  Inlet;  that  it  would  not  include  the  western 
part  of  Melville  Bay,  and  nortli  of  Davis's  Inlet  or  the 
Moravian  settlement  of  Zoar,  would  pass  almost  to  the 
westward  of  the  mainland,  including:  only  some  of  the 
promontories  and  the  outer  islands  from  Zoar  to  Cape 
Chidley.  This  was  evidently  not  the  intention  of  the 
British  Government.  The  natural  boundary  line  between 
Newfoundland  and  Canadian  Labrador  would  be,  it 
seems  to  us,  the  Eskimo  and  Kenamou  rivers,  the 
western  shores  of  Melville  I5ay  and  of  Grand  Lake, 
and  north  of  this  point  the  chain  of  lakes  lying  on  the 
heiorht  of  land  extending  along-  near  the  65th  parallel 
of  longitude,  the  natural  boundary  line  on  Ungava 
Bay  being  Whale  River. 

Hatton  and  Harvey's  history  then  states:  "This  por- 
tion of  Labrador  was  not  always  attached  to  Newfound- 
land. The  first  annexation  took  place  after  the  Treaty 
of  Paris,  1763.  While  the  flag  of  France  waved  over 
Canada,  the  French  carried  on  extensive  fisheries  on 
the  Labrador  coast,  near  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle,  to 
which  they  attach  the  greatest  importance.  After  the 
conquest  of  Canada  by  Britain,  a  company  established 
in  Quebec  obtained  a  monopoly  of  these  fisheries 
which  lasted    for  sixty  years,  but  was    brought    to    an 


1  I 


■i'  1 1 


238     A    CI  ANCK    W   TilK   ("I  VI  I,    HISIORV    f)I'    I,AHI<ADf)l<. 


k 


ii 


■i.:  '\\i 


I  I  'I 


end  ill  1820.  I'lUil  1763  the  tishcrics  of  the  wliole 
southern  ami  eastern  shores  of  Lahrador  were  plaeed 
under  the  government  of  Ouehee.  Increased  impor- 
tance was  ijivc'n  to  the  jrovernorship  of  Newfoundland 
at  that  date  by  annexing  to  it  the  Atlantic  coast  of 
Lahrador.  Ten  years  after,  in  1773,  it  was  considered 
advisable  to  restore  this  portion  of  I^abrador  to  Canada, 
owinji;^  to  difficulties  arising  out  of  «4raiUs  made  to  a 
number  of  persons  under  the  rule  of  the  I^^ench.  In 
1809  it  was  ajjain  transferred  to  the  jurisdiction  of 
Newfoundland,  under  which  it  has  remained  ever  since. 
A  Court  of  Civil  Jurisdiction,  on  the  coast  of  Labra- 
dor, was  instituted  in  1824.  A  special  court  of  civil  and 
criminal  jurisdiction,  called  'The  Court  of  Labrador,* 
and  presided  over  by  one  judge,  appointed  l)y  the  Gov- 
ernor in  Council,  secured  the  administration  of  justice. 
The  customs'  duties  levied  on  sjoods  landed  on  Labia- 
dor  are  the  same  as  in  Newfoundland.  The  Hudson 
Bay  Company  had  formerly  the  exclusive  right  of  trad- 
ing with  the  Indians  of  that  part  of  Labrador  which  had 
rivers  flowing  into  the  inlet  from  which  the  company 
took  its  name,  and  which  is  designated  East  Maine. 
In  1870,  however,  the  company  surrendered  all  their 
rights  of  government,  property,  etc.,  in  the  whole  of 
British  North  America  ;  and  these  having  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  the  company  being 
still  at  liberty  to  carry  on  their  trade  without  hindrance, 
or  any  exceptional  tax,  Canada  has  thus  jurisdiction 
over  all  the  region  of  Labrador  which  does  not  belong 
to  Newfoundland." 

The  two  most  notable  and   romantic  events  lighting 
up  the  usually  prosaic  course  of  Labrador  history  were 


CHATKAU. 


239 


the  f()un(liiij»  by  the  liroton  tislicnnen  and  traders  of  tlie 
town  of  Brest,  in  liradore  Bay,  ahoiil  1520,  and  tlie 
battles  at  Chateau.  It  will  be  remembered  thai  this 
town  is  estimated  to  have  had  upwards  of  i.ooo  resi- 
dents ;  its  ruins  and  terraces  l)ein<2:  still  visible.  'I'hc 
other  event,  or  rather  series  of  events,  occurred  farther 
up  the  Strait  of  Ik'lle  Isle,  and  the  scenes  were  less 
peaceful.  Chfiteau,  or  what  is  now  called  Henley  Har- 
bor, was  orij^inally  colonized  by  the  Acadian  refu<;ees, 
who  either  builj^  a  fort  here  or  more  strongly  forlilied 
Greville's  Fort,  originally  built  to  resist  Eskimo  attacks. 
The  remains  of  these  fortifications  are  still  extant. 
"In  1763  a  British  garrison  was  located  at  Chateau, 
in  order  to  protect  the  lisheries  ;  but  the  place  was  cap- 
tured in  1778  by  the  American  privateer  'Minerva,' 
and  three  vessels  and  ^^70,000  worth  of  property  were 
carried  away  as  prizes.  In  1796  the  post  was  again 
attacked  by  a  French  fleet.  A  long  bombardment  en- 
sued between  the  frigates  and  the  sliore  batteries,  and 
it  was  not  until  their  ammunition  was  exhausted  that 
the  British  trooj)s  retreated  into  the  back  country,  after 
having  burned  the  village.  In  1535  the  French  explor- 
ing-fleet,  under  the  command  of  Jacques  Cartier,  as- 
sembled here." 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  Eskimo  inhabitants  of 
the  coast.  The  Indians  inhabit  the  interior,  and,  as  has 
been  remarked,  they  are  perhaps  now  the  only  truly 
wild,  untamed  red-men  of  North  America.  They  are 
of  the  Mountaineer  (or  Montagnais)  and  Nasquapee 
(or  Nascopi)  tribes,  and  though  they  are  roughly  esti- 
mated to  number  4,000.  they  are  supposed  to  be  slowly 
disappearing.     "  Game,"  say   Hatton   and   Harvey,  "on 


r! 


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H    ■' 


240     A   GLANCE   AT   THE   CIVIL   IIISTOUY   OF    LABRADOR. 

which  they  depend,  is  becoming  scarcer  every  year, 
owing  largely  to  destructive  fires  which  have  swept  over 
vast  areas,  destroying  forests,  berry-bearing  shrubs, 
mosses  and  lichens,  and  converting  whole  districts  into 
hopeless  deserts  strewed  with  naked  bowk'ers,  where  no 
animal  life  can  exist.  Some  of  the  Nasquapee  tribe 
are  still  heathen,  but  the  Montagnais  are  nearly  all  nom- 
inally Roman  Catholics.  The  zealous  Jesuit  missiona- 
ries of  early  times  extended  their  labors  from  Canada  to 
Labrador,  and  these  have  been  specially  successful 
amono-  the  Montagnais.  Of  late  years  thev  have  been 
resumed,  and  are  now  systematically  carried  on.  The 
Indians  hunt  over  the  interior,  and  at  certain  seasons 
visit  the  coast  in  order  to  exchange  the  products  of 
the  chase  for  clothing,  ammunition,  and  other  necessaries. 

Labrador,  both  politically  and  commercially,  is  the 
great  dependency  of  Newfoundland,  more  than  a  fourth 
of  the  entire  export  of  the  fishery  product  of  that  colony 
beinof  taken  on  the  coast  of  Labrador.  The  averajre 
annual  catch  of  Newfoundland  fishermen  on  the  Labra- 
dor coast  is  from  350,000  to  400,000  quintals  of  codfish, 
50,000  to  70,000  barrels  of  herring,  and  from  300  to 
500  tierces  of  salmon.  The  number  of  Newfound- 
landers who  frequent  the  Atlantic  coast  of  Labrador 
during  the  summer,  from  the  end  of  June  till  the  first  or 
second  week  of  October,  is  estimated  at  30,000,  from 
1,000  to  1,200  fishing  vessels  being  employed  each 
year. 

It  has  been  already  stated  that  the  fishermen  have 
only  in  recent  years  gone  up  the  coast  for  their  fares 
beyond  Hopedale.  When  we  visited  the  coast  in  1864 
scarcely  any  fishermen   went    beyond    Hamilton    Inlet. 


TIIK    LABRADOR    FISHERIES.  24I 

The  numerous  tishing  banks  and  shoals  lying  off  the 
.Vtlantic  coast  on  the  edge  of  the  continental  shelf,  and 
probably  forming  the  winter  feeding  grounds,  from 
which  early  in  July  the  codfish  migrate  inshore,  form 
an  area  of  7,100  square  miles.  It  is  thought  by  Hind 
that  the  great  cod  fishery  of  the  future  will  probably 
be  along  Northern  Labrador  and  over  the  adjacent 
banks. 

The  American  fishermen  have  abandoned  the  Labra- 
dor coast,  preferring  the  Newfoundland  banks,  which  are 
nearer  to  their  homes.  As  late  as  1880  about  one  hun- 
dred Canadian  and  Nova  Scotia  vessels  were  annually 
engaged  in  the  Labrador  fisheries.  Formerly  a  good 
many  Jersey  fishermen  frequented  the  coast,  where  there 
were  several  of  their  fishing  establishments  ;  but  of  these 
only  three  remained  up  to  1880,  while  all  the  English 
mercantile  houses  have  been  withdrawn. 

It  is  estimated  that  the  aggregate  value  of  the  fisheries 
from  all  sources  on  the  entire  coast  "  will  not  fall  short 
of  a  million  pounds  sterling  per  annum." 

The  present  value  of  these  fisheries  is  shown  by  the 
following  extracts  from  Hatton  and  Harvey's  "New- 
foundland "  : 

"  Exports  from  Labrador  for  the  year  ending  July  31, 
1880: 

NEWFOUNDLAND    HOUSES. 

Dried  codfish 3^3,4,0  qtls. 

Green      do      144     " 

Sealskins 1,096 

Seal  oil 50  tuns. 

Cod  oil 76     " 

Other  oil i     " 

Blubber 17     " 


IF" 


1  ■'!  I 


242     A   G[-ANCE   AT   THE   CI\  FL    iriSTORY   OF    LABRADOR. 

Pickled  salmon 592  tierces. 

Pickled  herring 16,970  bbls. 

Pickled  trout 14     " 

Pickled  mackerel 459     " 

Dried  caplin 58     " 

EXPORTS      BY     LABRADOR      HOUSES      NOT     CONNECTED    WITH      NEW- 
FOUNDLAND,   FOR    YEAR    ENDING    JULY   I,   1880. 

Dried  codfish 14,000  qtls. 

Sealskins mo 

Seal  oil 14  tuns. 

Cod  oil 55     " 

Refuse 2     " 

Blubber 15     " 

Pickled  salmon 400  tierces. 

Salmon  in  tins 30,oo<-  ■'   , 

Pickled  herring 7c:  'i).;^. 

Pickled  trout 40     " 

Pickled  mackerel 200     " 

Dried  caplin 160     " 

EXPORTS    BY     TRADERS    ON     LABRADOR    COAST      FOR    YEAR      ENDING 
JULY    I,    1880    (estimated     QUANTITIES). 

Dried  codfish 526  qtls. 

Cod  oil 14  tuns. 

Pickled  salmon ;  757  tierces. 

Pickled  herring 2,612  bbls. 

Pickled  mackerel ,  30     *' 

"The  foitjgoing  statement  shows  that  in  that  year  the 
total  export  of  dried  codfish  was  407,962  quintals — value, 
at  three  dollars  per  quintal,  $1,223,886;  the  export  of 
herring  20,282  barrels — value,  at  three  and  a  half  dollars 
per  barrel,  $70,987  :  the  export  of  salmon  1,749  tierces, 
— value  $34,980. 


:l 


■  ^ 


mmmm 


THE   LABRADOR    FISHERIES.  243 

•'  For  the  year  ending  31st  July,  1881,  the  exports  of 
the  three  great  staples  were  as  follows  : — 

Dried  codfish 419,997  qtls. 

Pickled  herring 33>33o  bbls. 

Pickled  salmon 957  tierces, 

"  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  foregoing  figures 
represent  only  the  exports  of  the  fishery  produces,  and  do 
not  show  the  quantities  consumed  by  the  fishermen  while 
employed,  or  afterwards  during  the  winter  at  tiieir  own 
homes,  which  must  be  very  considerable.  Fiesides, 
about  a  fourth  of  the  whole  catch  is  sent  to  Newfound- 
land for  shipment,  and  the  Canadian  and  American 
fishermen  who  frequent  these  shores  carry  away  with 
them  the  products  of  their  labors,  which  are  estimated 
to  be  about  a  ninth  of  the  entire  quantities  taken." 

To  show  how  precarious  and  uncertain  the  Labrador 
fisheries  are  still,  I  quote  from  the  following  letter  from 
J.  VV.  Collins,  Asst.  U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Fish  and 
Fisheries,  under  date  of  Oct.  27,  1887,  in  answer  to  my 
letter  of  inquiry:  "During  last  July  and  August  I 
made  a  cruise  in  the  Fish  Commission  schooner  Grampus 
to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  around  the  south  and  east 
coasts  of  Newfoundland,  through  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
and  thence  to  Mingan.  I  learned  that  the  cod  fishery 
on  the  east  coast  of  Newfoundland  (particularly  that 
portion  known  as  the  '  French  Shore,'  from  Cape  St. 
John  to  C4pe  Bauld)  and  at  the  Labrador  has  been  bad 
for  the  past  two  or  three  years.  But  it  was  worse  this 
year  than  ever.  As  late  as  July  26th  I  met  Capt.  George 
Manuel,  of  the  mail  steamer  Plover,  at  Twillingate.  He 
was  then  direct  from  the  Labrador  coast,  and  reported 


W^- 

iM'rIufili* 

iill 

1 

1 

1 

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244     A   GLAXCK    AT   THE   CIVIL   HISTORY    OF    LABRADOR. 


if:! 


the  cod  fishery  in  a  very  bad  condition,  the  boats  having 
taken  only  from  five  to  thirty  (quintals  each  at  the  dif- 
ferent harbors.  Ice  was  pacl<:ed  in  on  the  coast,  and 
none  of  the  vessels  had  got  beyond  Battle  Harbor. 

•'  August  I  St  the  average  catch  of  cod  on  the  north- 
east coast  of  Newfoundland — Caj)e  Freels  to  Cape  Bauld 
— did  not  exceed  a  single  cjuintal  of  marketable  fish, 
and  in  many  j)laces  was  less  than  half  this  amount. 

"  On  August  4th  I  talked  with  the  crew  of  the 
schooner  Edioard Rich,  of  Catalina,  Newfoundland.  She 
had  been  fishing  in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  and  was  then 
at  Cape  Norman.  She  had  a  crew  of  ten  men  and  had 
taken  only  one  hundred  and  twenty  quintals  of  cod  up  to 
that  date. 

"  Newspaper  accounts,  which  1  saw  at  a  later  date, 
stated  the  Labrador  fishery  had  been  a  failure  this  year- 

"No  American  vessels  have  engaged  in  the  Labrador 
fisheries  since  1880,  so  far  as  we  are  informed  ;  and  then 
only  a  single  vessel  went  there.  Unless  there  is  a 
marked  improvement  in  the  cod  fishery  of  that  region,  I 
believe  it  will  not  be  long  before  vessels  will  stop  going- 
there.  Already  the  Nova  Scotian  and  Newfoundland 
fishermen  are  changing  their  summer  trips  from  the 
Labrador  to  the  outer  banks." 


CHAFFER   Xill. 

THE     LABRADOR       KSKIMOS     AND       11 1  EI  K    *K(>KMKR     RANCiK 

SOUTHWARD. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  the 
Labrador  Eskimos,  but  simply  to  put  togetiier  what  I 
have  found  in  relation  to  them  in  works  referring  to 
Labrador,  and  to  add  a  few  notes  made  during  the  two 
summers  spent  on  that  coast  in  i860  and  1864.  Al- 
though I  was  aware  that  the  Eskimos  formerly  lived  as 
far  south  as  the  r,outhern  entrance  to  the  Strait  of  Belle 
Isle,  where  I  saw  two  individuals  in  i860,  one  said  to  be 
a  full-blooded  Eskimo  woman,  I  regarded  them  as  strag- 
glers from  the  north.  It  now  seems  more  probable,  from 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Carpenter's  statement,  in  a  subsequent  page, 
and  from  the  fact,  to  be  hereafter  stated,  thai  several 
hundred  Eskimos  lived  at  Chateau  Bay,  opposite  Belle 
Isle,  in  1765,  while  otherswere  known  to  have  extended 
as  far  east  as  the  Mingan  Islands,  that  this  race  had  a 
more  or  less  permanent  foothold  on  the  northern  shores 
of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  If  this  was  so,  it  seems 
not  improbable  that  this  roving  race  may  have  made, 
in  very  early  times,  expeditions  farther  south  to  Nova 
Scotia  and  New  England.  Here  also  cjmes  to  mind 
the  theory  of  Dr.  C.  C.  Abbot,  that  the  Eskimos  for- 
merly inhabited  the  coast  of  New  Jersey  during  the 
river-terrace  epoch. 

245 


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246   THE   LABRADOR    ESKIMOS   AND   THEIR    FORMER    RAN(;E. 


:!      i:t 


I  ' 


Although  at  first  disposed  to  reject  such  an  assump- 
tion, the  examination  we  have  made  leads  us  to  look 
with  more  favor  upon  Dr.  Abbot's  theory,  and  to  think 
it  not  improbable  that  long  after  the  close  of  the  glacial 
period,  i.e.,  after  the  ice  had  disappeared  and  during  the 
early  part  of  the  terrace  epoch,  when  the  reindeer  and 
walrus  lived  as  far  south  as  New  Jersey,  the  Eskimos, 
now  considered  so  primitive  a  race,  possibly  the  remnants 
of  the  Pahcolithic  people  of  Europe,  formerly  extended 
as  far  as  a  region  defined  by  the  edge  of  the  great  mo- 
raine ,  and  as  the  climate  assumed  its  present  features, 
moved  northward.  They  were  also  possibly  pushed 
northward  by  the  Indians,  who  may  have  exterminated 
them  from  the  coast  south  of  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, the  race  becoming  acclimated  to  the  arctic  regions. 
All  these  hypotheses  came  up  afresh  in  our  mind  a  few 
summers  ago  when  we  began  to  collect  these  notes.  Their 
substantiality  became  more  pronounced  after  reading  the 
confirmatory  remarks  made  by  Professor  E.  B.  Tylor  at 
the  Montreal  meeting  of  the  British  Association.  We 
are  not  now,  however,  prepared  to  adopt  the  view  that 
the  Norsemen  did  not  go  as  far  south  as  Narragansett 
Bay,  and  that  the  natives  they  saw  were  not  red  Indians, 
their  word."  skrellings"  being  indiscriminately  applied  to 
any  of  the  native  tribes  they  saw. 

We  do  find,  however,  unexpected  confirmation  of 
Professor  IVlor's  supposition  that  "  Eskimos  eight  hun- 
dred years  ago,  before  they  had  ever  found  their  way  to 
Greenland,  were  hunting  seals  on  the  coast  of  Newfound- 
land, and  caribou  in  the  forest,"  for  these  events  did 
actually  happen  in  Newfoundland,  or  at  least  there  are 
traces  of  Plskimo  residence  in  large  numbers  at  Chateau 


Mir.UATIONS   OF   THE    ESKIMO. 


247 


Bay  in  1 765,  of  their  repeated  crossing  over  to  Newfound- 
land, and  of  their  learning  a  few  French  words  from  the 
French  settlers. 

At  all  events  the  facts  we  here  present  should  induce 
our  New  Enu:land  and  Canadian  archteolojrists  to  make 
the  most  careful  examination  of  the  shell-heaps  about 
the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  on  the  shores  of 
northern  and  southern  Nova  Scotia,  as  well  as  of 
Maine  and  northern  Massachusetts,  for  traces  of  early 
Eskimo  occupation. 

Certain  facts  seem  to  confirm  the  early  belief  of  the 
Greenland  Danes  and  Moravians  that  the  Labrador  Es- 
kimos were  an  older  people  than  those  who  migrated  into 
Greenland.  In  the  extracts  from  the  appendix  to 
Cranch's  History  of  Greenland  given  farther  on,  we  shall 
see  that  the  Eskimos  of  these  two  regions  differed  in  their 
dress  and  kayaks,  differences  we  have  personally  noticed. 

Whether  the  Labrador  Eskimos  belong  to  an  older 
stock  than  those  living  directly  north  of  Hudson's  Bay 
we  cannot  say.  Crantz,  however,  remarks :  "  As  early 
then  as  the  year  1800  our  missionaries  learned  from  the 
reports  of  Northlanders  who  visited  their  settlements 
that  the  main  seat  of  the  nation  was  on  the  coast  and 
islands  of  the  north,  beyond  Cape  Chudleiohr  Crantz, 
in  a  note  (xvi),  also  claims  :  "  There  can  be  no  hesita- 
tion in  affirming  that  Greenland  was  peopled  from  Lab- 
rador, not  Labrador  from  Greenland." 

The  theory  that  the  Eskimos  entered  America  by  way 
of  Behring  Strait,  now  generally  received,*  was  thus  stated 
by  Crantz  in  1767  :  "Our  Greenlanders,  it  should  seem, 
having  settled  in  Tartary  after  the  grand   dispersion   of 

*  Mr.  Dall  and  others  do  not,  however,  accept  this  view. 


M...      .nil 


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248   THE    r,ARRADC)R   ESKIMOS   ANH   THEIR   FORMER    RANGE. 


i-    ■'■•\ 


the  nations,  were  gradually  impelled  northward  by  the 
tide  of  emigration,  till  they  reached  the  extreme  corner 
of  Kamtschatka,  and  finding  themselves  disturbed  even 
in  these  remote  scats,  they  crossed  the  strait  to  the 
neighboring  continent  of  America.  .  .  .  Our  savages 
then  retired  before  their  pursuers  across  the  narrow 
strait,  either  by  a  direct  navigation  or  by  a  more  gradual 
passage  from  island  to  island,  to  America,  where  they 
could  spread  themselves  without  opposition  through  the 
unoccupied  wastes  round  the  southeast  part  of  Hudson's 
Bay,  or  through  Canada  up  to  the  northern  ocean.  And 
here  they  were  first  met  with  in  the  eleventh  century  by 
the  discoverers  of  VVineland.  But  when  they  were 
compelled  to  evacuate  these  possessions  likewise,  by  the 
numerous  tribes  of  Indians  superior  to  themselves  in 
strength  and  valor,  who  thronged  to  the  north  out  of 
Florida,  they  receded  nearer  to  the  pole,  as  far  as  the  60th 
degree.  Here  Ellis  in  his  voyage  to  Hudson's  Bay  found 
the  Esquimaux,*  resembling  the  Greenlanders  in  every 
particular  of  dress,  figure,  boats,  weapons,  houses,  man- 
ners, and  customs.  .  .  .  The  clerk  of  the  Califor- 
nia^ says  that  these  Esquimaux  are  grievously  harassed 
by  the  Indians  inhabiting  the  south  and  west  shores  of 
Hudson's  Bay,  who  are  in  all  respects  a  distinct  race. 
An  unsuccessful  hunting  or  fishing  expedition  is  a  suffi- 
cient pretext  for  their  oppressors  to  fall  upon  them  and 
take  them  prisoners  or  murder  them.  These  acts  of 
violence  have  induced  the  fugitives  to  retreat  so  far  to 


*  Charlevois  derives  this  name  from  the  Indian  word  Eskimantsik,  which  in 
the  language  of  the  Abenaquis  signifies  to  eat  raw;  and  it  is  certain  that  they 
eat  raw  fish.     (They  also  eat  seals  and  birds  raw.) 

f  Account  of  a  voyage  for  the  discovery  of  a  northwest  passage,  vol.  ii. 
P-  43- 


mmmm 


HUDSON    BAY    ESKIMOS. 


249 


the  northward  ;  and  part  of  them  in  all  probability  passed 
over  to  Greenland  in  the  fourteenth  century,  either 
crossing  Davis's  Strait  in  their  boats  from  Ca/yc  IVa/si'nQ- 
liam  in  lat.  66"  to  the  South  Bay,  a  distance  of  scarcely 
forty  leagues,  or  otherwise  proceeding  by  land  round  the 
extremity  of  Baffin's  Bay,  where,  if  we  may  trust  the  re- 
ports of  the  Greenlanders,  stone  crosses,  like  guide-posts, 
are  still  to  be  seen  at. intervals  along  the  coast." 

That  the  Eskimos  were  more  abundant  on  the  eastern 
shores  of  Hudson's  Bay  may  be  proved  by  the  following 
extracts  from  Coats's  Notes  on  the  Geography  of  Hud- 
son's Bay,  reprinted  by  the  Hakluyt  Society."^*  It  ap- 
pe.Ms  from  his  notes  that  the  Eskimos  inhabited  Labrador 
from  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  around  to  James's  Bay, 
i.e.,  as  far  south  in  E^udson's  Bay  as  Belcher's  Island 
(lat.  56"  6')  and  the  Sleepers.  Their  southern  range 
was  probably  Hazard  Gulf,  in  lat.  56°  22'.  The  coast  of 
Hudson's  Bay  is  wild  and  barren,  with  floating  ice. 
Speaking  of  tlie  barren,  treeless  coast  from  Cape  Diggs 
to  Hazard  Gulf,  Coats  says :  "  Doubtless  the  native  Us- 
quemows  know  the  time  and  seasons  of  those  haunts, 
and  nick  it,  for  we  found  vestiges  of  them  at  all  the 
places  we  stopt  att."  From  the  foregoing  extract  it  is 
obvious  that  Captain  Coats  obtained  his  knowledge  of  the 
Labrador  Indians  and  the  Eskimos  from  his  personal  ob- 
servations and  inquiries  while  in  Hudson's  Bay  ;  he  per- 
sonally only  by  hearsay  received  information  that  the 
Eskimos,  by  whalers  called  "Huskies,"  lived  as  far  south 
as  St.  Lawrence  Bav  ;  but  his  statement  will   be  seen  to 

*  Notes  on  the  Geography  of  Hudson's  Bay,  being  the  remarks  of  Capt.  W. 
Coats  in  many  voyages  to  that  locality  between  the  years  1727  and  1751.  Ed- 
ited by  John  Barrow.     London,  Hakluyt  Society,  1852.     8vo. 


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250     rilK    lAHRADOR    KSKIMOS    AM)   TMKIR    FORMER    RANGE. 


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be   confirmed  by  Crantz.     The  northern   Indians  men- 
tioned by  Coats  are  undoubtedly  the  Naskopies. 

The  follo\vin<i^  extracts  from  the  appendix  to  Crantz's 
History  of  Greenland,  English  translation,  fully  prove 
that  several  hundred  Eskimos  s))ent  the  summer  at  Cha- 
teau Bay  opposite  the  northeastern  extremity  of  New- 
foundland, and  also  crossed  over  to  the  latter  island,  and 
must  have  been,  for  several  years  at  least,  residents  on 
the  shores  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle.  The  first  visit  of 
the  Moravians  to  the  Labrador  coast  was  in  1752  ; 
Christian  Erhard,  a  Dutchman,  but  a  member  of  the 
Moravian  Society,  landed  in  July  in  Nisbet's  Haven, 
with  a  boat's  crew  of  five  men,  at  a  point  north  of  this 
harbor,  where  all  were  murdered  by  the  Eskimos,  the  ves- 
sel returning-  to  England.  The  next  attempt  to  approach 
the  Eskimos  v/as  made  in  1764,  by  Jens  Haven,  who  had 
labored  for  several  years  as  a  missionary  in  Greenland, 
and  had  recently  returned  with  Crantz  to  Germany. 
With  letters  of  introduction  to  Hugh  Palliser,  Esq.,  the 
governor  of  Newfoundland,  in  May  of  the  same  year  he 
arrived  at  St.  Johns  ;  "  but  he  had  to  meet  with  many 
vexatious  delays  before  he  reached  his  destination,  every 
ship  with  which  he  engaged  refusing  to  land  for  fear  of 
the  Esquimaux.  He  was  at  length  set  on  shore  in  Cha- 
teau Bay,  on  the  southern  coast  of  Labrador  ;  here,  how- 
ever, he  found  no  signs  of  population  except  several 
scattered  tumuli,  with  the  arrows  and  implements  of  the 
dead  deposited  near  them.  Embarking  again  he  finally 
landed  on  the  island  of  Quirpont  or  Ouiveron,  off  the 
northeast  extremity  of  Newfoundland,  in  the  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle,  where  he  had  the  first  interview  with  the  na- 
tives."    "  The  4th  September,"  he  writes  in  his  journal, 


iul^ 


THE   ESKIMO   IN   NEWFOUNnLANl*. 


251 


**  was  the  liappy  day  when  I  saw  an  Escjuimau  arrive 
in  the  harbor.  I  ran  to  meet  him  and  addnssecl  him  in 
Greenhmdic.  lie  was  astonislied  to  hear  his  own  lan- 
guage from  the  mouth  of  an  European,  and  answered 
me  in  broken  French."  The  next  day  eighteen  returned 
his  visit.  On  the  third  day  the  Eskimos  left  the  harbor 
altogetiier,  and  after  a  short  stay  at  Ouirpont  Haven  re- 
turned to   Newfoundland. 

The  following  year  Haven,  with  three  other  mission- 
aries, landed,  July  17,  1765,  in  Chriteau  Hay,  lat.  52°,  on 
the  south  shore  of  Labrador,  opposite  Belle  Isle.  "  Here 
the  party  separated  ;  Haven  and  Schlotzer  engaging 
with  another  vessel,  to  explore  the  coast  northwards  ; 
they  did  not,  however,  accomj)lish  anything  material  in 
this  expedition,  nor  did  they  meet  with  a  single  Esqui- 
mau the  whole  time.  Drachart  and  John  Hill  remained 
in  Chateau  Bay,  and  were  fortunate  enough  to  have  the 
company  of  several  hundred  Es(|uimaux  for  ujiwards  of 
a  month,  during  which  period  they  had  daily  opportu- 
nities of  intercourse.  As  soon  as  Sir  Thomas  Adams  had 
received  intelligence  that  they  had  pitched  their  tents  at 
a  place  twenty  miles  distant,  he  sailed  thither  to  invite 
them,  in  the  name  of  the  governor,  to  Pitt's  Harbor.  On 
the  approach  of  the  ship  the  savages  in  the  kajaks  hailed 
them  with  shouts  of  'Tout  camarade,  oui  IIu  !'  and  the 
crew  returned  the  same  salutation.  Mr.  Drachart  did 
not  choose  to  join  in  the  cry,  but  told  Sir  Thomas  that 
he  could  converse  with  the  natives  in  their  own  language. 
When  the  tumult  had  subsided  he  took  one  of  them  by 
the  hand  and  said  in  Greenlandic,  '  We  are  friends.' 
The  savage  replied,  '  We  are  also  thy  friends.' " 

Crantz  then  describes,  from  the  notes  of  Haven  and 


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252    TMK    I.AHKADOK    ESKIMOS    AND    IIIKIR    FDRMKK    RAN(;K. 

Drachart,  the  peninsula  of  Lal)rador  and  some  of  the 
animals  as  well  as  the  habits  of  the  Eskimos.  These 
people  remained  at  Chateau  Bay  through  the  summer 
until  at  least  after  the  middle  of  September,  as  on  Sept. 
12th  and  13th  the  shallop  ran  ashore,  and  the  Eskimos 
invited  them  to  lodge  in  their  tents,  carrying  the  mission- 
aries ashore  on  their  backs. 

Th(,'  following  extract  shows  that  the  T^skimos  must, 
before  the  year  1765,  have  been  in  the  habit  of  crossing 
the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  and  landing  on  Newfoundland  : 

"  The  governor  wished  to  prevent  them  from  crossing 
over  to  Newfoundland,  where,  according  to  their  own 
account,  they  procured  a  certain  kind  of  wood  not  to  be 
found  in  their  country,  of  which  they  made  their  darts. 
But  since  they  interpreted  this  prohibition  as  a  b.each 
of  peace,  it  was  rescinded  on  their  promise  to  commit 
no  depredation  on  the  fishing-vessels  they  might  meet 
with  on  the  way  ;  to  which  engagement  they  scrupu- 
lously adhered." 

The  account  then  goes  on  to  say  that  during  the  inter- 
val which  occurred  between  the  visit  of  Haven  and  Dra- 
chart in  1  765  and  the  foundation  of  the  first  missionary 
settlement  at  Nain  in  1771,  "the  old  quarrels  between 
the  natives  and  the  English  traders  were  resumed  ;  and 
as  no  one  was  present  who  could  act  as  interpieter  and 
explain  the  mutual  grounds  of  diflferencc,  the  affair  ter- 
minated in  bloodshed.  Nearly  twenty  of  the  natives 
were  killed  in  the  fray,  among  whom  was  Karpik's 
father  ;  he  himself,  with  another  boy  and  seven  females, 
were  taken  prisoners  and  carried  to  Newfoundland.  One 
of  these  women,  of  the  name  of  Mikak,  and  her  son, 
were  brought  to  England,  where  they  recognized  an  ac- 


K.'^IPII 


i 


THK    MORAVIAN    STATIONS. 


253 


quaintance  in  Mr.  Ilavcii,  who  had  formerly  slept  a 
night  in  their  tent.  Karpik  was  detained  by  (iovernor 
Palliser,  with  the  intention  of  eoniniitting  him  to  tiie 
care  of  Mr.  Haven,  to  be  trained  uj)  for  usefulness  in  a 
future  mission  to  his  countrymen.  He  did  n(jt  arrive  in 
England  till  1769,  at  which  time  he  was  about  lifteen 
vears  old."      He  died  in  luigland  of  small-|)ox. 

We  glean  a  few  more  items  from  Crantz  regarding  the 
distribution,  numbers,  and  habits  of  the  Labrador  Eski- 
mos. The  Moravians,  after  founding  Xain  (lat.  56  25  ), 
determined  to  found  two  other  stations,  one  to  the  north 
and  the  other  to  the  south.  Okkak  ( 150  miles  north  of 
Nain  in  lat.  57"  t^^)  )  ^^''^^  ^'^^^^  founded  on  land  |)urchased 
from  the  Eskimos  in  1775,  Haven  with  his  family  estab- 
lishing himself  there  the  following  year.  The  reason  for 
founding  these  stations  was  due  to  the  fact  that  it  "  was 
found  insufficient  to  serve  as  a  gathering  place  for  the 
Eskimos  dispersed  along  a  line  of  coast  not  less  than  six 
hundred  miles  in  extent,  es|)ecially  as  it  afforded  but 
scantv  resources  to  the  natives  during  the  winter  season, 
when  they  had  fewer  inducements  to  rove  from  place  to 
place. 

In  the  summer  of  1782  the  Moravians  began  a  third 
settlement  to  the  south,  "  on  the  spot  which  they  had 
formerly  marked  out  and  purchased  from  the  Esquimaux. 
This  station  received  the  name  of  Hopedale."  As  ob- 
stacles to  the  missionary  work  were  the  following  :  "  The 
spirit  of  traffic  had  become  extremely  prevalent  amongst 
the  southern  Esquimaux  ;  the  hope  of  exaggerated  ad- 
vantages which  they  might  derive  from  a  voyage  to  the 
European  factories,  wholly  abstracted  their  thoughts  from 
religious  inquiries ;  and  one  boat-load  followed  another 


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254   '•"'IK    I.ABUADOk    KSKIMOS    AND    IIIKIU    FORMER    RANGE. 


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\hl 

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UM 

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*  !      ^' 

i}   ■• 

I'ii  .' 

St ' 

'\ 

k 

1 

througlioul  the  summer.  A  I'rcnchman  from  Canada, 
named  Makko,  who  had  newly  settled  in  the  south,  and 
who  sustained  the  double  eharacter  of  trader  and  Catholic 
priest,  was  particularly  successful  in  enticing  the  Esqui- 
maux by  the  most  tempting  offers.  Besides  the  evil 
consequences  resulting  from  these  expeditions  in  a  spir- 
itual point  of  view,  so  large  a  proportion  of  their  wares 
was  thus  conveyed  to  the  south  that  the  annual  vessel 
which  brought  out  provisions  and  other  necessaries  for 
the  brethren,  and  articles  of  barter  for  the  natives,  could 
make  up  but  a  small  cargo  in  return,  though  the  brethren, 
unv/illing  as  they  were  to  supply  this  ferocious  race  with 
instruments  which  miji^ht  facilitate  the  execution  of  their 
revengeful  projects,  furnished  them  with  the  firearms 
which  they  could  otherwise,  and  on  any  terms,  have  pro- 
cured from  the  south." 

Crantz  then  mentions  a  feature  of  Kskimo  life  which, 
however  repugnant  to  the  feelings  of  the  Moravians,  is  of 
interest  to  the  ethnologist,  and  has  not,  so  far  as  we  are 
aware,  been  observed  among  the  Eskimos  of  late  years. 
This  was  the  erection  of  a  temporary  winter  c'stufa  or 
public  game-house.  "A  kaclic,  or  |)leasure-house,  which, 
to  the  grief  of  the  missionaries,  was  erected  in  1777 
by  the  savages  near  Nain,  and  resorted  to  by  visitors 
from  Okkak,  has  been  described  by  the  brethren.  It 
was  built  entirely  of  snow,  sixteen  feet  high  and  seventy 
feet  square.  The  entrance  was  by  a  round  porch,  which 
communicated  with  the  main  body  of  the  house  by  a 
long  avenue  terminated  at  the  farther  end  by  a  heart- 
shaped  aperture,  about  eighteen  inches  broad  and  two 
feet  in  height.  For  greater  solidity  the  wall  near  the 
entrance  was  congealed  into  ice  by  water  poured  upon  it. 


ESKIMO    CAME. 


255 


Near  the  entry  was  a  i)illar  of  ice  supporting  the  lamp, 
and  additional  light  was  let  in  through  a  transparent 
plate  of  ice  in  the  side  of  the  building.  A  siring  hung 
from  the  middle  of  the  roof,  by  which  a  small  bone  was 
suspended,  with  four  holes  driven  through  it.  Round 
this  all  the  women  were  collected,  behind  whom  stood 
the  men  and  bovs,  each  havinjr  a  Ion"  stick  shod  with 
iron.  The  string  was  now  set  a-swinging,  and  the  nien. 
all  together,  thrust  their  sticks  over  the  heads  of  their 
wives  at  the  bone,  till  one  of  them  succeeded  in  striking 
a  hole.  A  loud  acclamation  ensued  ;  the  men  sat  down 
on  a  snow  seat,  and  the  victor,  after  going  two  or  three 
times  round  the  house  singing,  was  kissed  by  all  the  men 
and  bovs;  he  then  suddenlv  made  his  exit  lhroui»h  the 
avenue,  and,  on  his  return,  the  game  was  renewed," 

The  narrative  then  goes  on  to  state  that  "one  of  the 
objects  of  the  establishment  at  Hopedale  had  been  to 
promote  an  intercourse  with  the  red  Indians  who  lived 
in  the  interior,  and  sometimes  approached  in  small  par- 
ties to  the  coast.  A  mutual  reserve  subsisted  between 
them  and  the  Esquimaux,  and  the  latter  fled  in  the  great- 
est trepidation  when  they  discovered  any  traces  of  them 
in  their  neighborhood.  In  1790,  however,  much  of  this 
coldness  was  removed,  when  several  families  of  these  In- 
dians came  to  Kippokak,  an  European  factory  about 
twenty  miles  distant  from  Hopedale.  In  April,  1799, 
the  missionaries  conversed  with  two  of  them,  a  father 
and  son,  who  came  to  Hopedale  to  buy  tobacco.  It 
appeared  that  they  were  attached  to  the  service  of  some 
Canadians  in  the  southern  settlements,  as  well  as  many 
others  of  their  tribe,  and  had  been  baptized  by  the  French 
priests.     They  evidently   regarded  the  Esquimaux  with 


ii 


iWP^    ^ 


I ' 


Sni 


V        I 


I 


i 

1 

256   Tlii:    I,.\l!K.\l)OK    ESKIMOS   AND   TIIKIR    lORMKK    KANdE. 

alarm,  tliuu^li  they  (.'ndcavorcd  to  conceal  their  suspi- 
cions. excusin«i  themselves  from  lodging  in  their  tent  on 
account  of  their  uncleanly  habits.  At  parting  they  as- 
sured the  hrelinen  that  they  would  receive  fre(|uent  vis- 
its from  liieir  countrymen,  but  this  has  not  as  yet  been 
the  case." 

I^om  Cartwright's  "Journal  of  a  Residence  in  Labra- 
dor" we  glean  the  following  statements,  which  certainly 
confirnrtiiose  of  the  Moravians  :  In  1765  a  blockhouse 
was  erected  in  a  small  fort  at  Chateau  Bay  to  protect  the 
English  merchants  from  the  Eskimos.  (Cartwright  also 
gives  the  best  account  we  have  seen  of  the  Bethuks  of 
Newfoundland.)  The  southern  tribe  of  Eskimos  were 
at  Chateau  Bay  in  i  770,  Cartwright  observing  that  some 
Moravians  were  there  at  the  same  time.  He  also  states 
that  there  was  an  Eskimo  settlement  "some  distance  to 
the  northward"  of  Cape  Charles,  and  th<.t  a  family  of 
nine  I^skimos  came  to  sj)end  the  winter;  li\mgnear  Cart- 
wright's  house,  and  more  Eskimos  came  to  join  them  in 
July,  1 771,  there  being  thirty-two  in  all;  they  traded 
whalebone  with  the  Eskimos  to  the  northward.*  Cart- 
wright saw  deserted  li^skimo  winter  houses  near  Denbigh 
Island. 

In  1771  he  saw  an  Eskimo  pursuing  a  "penguin"  in 
his  kayak  near  Fogo  Island,  off  the  coast  of  Newfound- 
land ! 


*  That  the  French  in  1753  traded  with  the  Eskimos  for  whalebone  and  oil  is 
shown  by  the  following  extract  from  Jeffrey's  Northwest  Passage,  p.  147. 
"  The  Eskemaux  go  up  to  Latitude  58,  or  further  North;  there  leave  their  great 
Boats,  pass  a  small  Neck  of  Land,  taking  their  Canoes  with  them,  and  then  go 
into  another  Water  which  communicates  with  Hudson's  Streights,  carry  their 
Return  of  Trade  into  Eskemaux  Bay,  where  ihey  live  in  Winter;  and  the  French 
made  considerable  Returns  to  Old  France,  by  the  whalebone  and  oil  procured 
from  these  People." 


IIIK    F.SKIMd    IN    I.AIJKADOK. 


25; 


g'l 


jreat 
n  go 
their 
ench 
:ured 


August  3(j,  1772,  "500  or  ihcrcahuuts"  I'Lskinios  ar- 
rivcii  at  Charles's  1 1  arbor  from  Chateau  Bav  to  the  south- 
ward,  to  meet  their  rehitions  from  f^ondon,  whom  Cart- 
wright  had  the  year  previous  taken  with  him  to  I^ondon, 
some  of  tliem  having  died  in  England  of  the  small-|)o.\. 
In  April  and  May,  1776.  Eskimos  were  observed  living 
near  Huntington  Island.  Many  lilskimos  died  in  Ivuk- 
toke  Inlet,  j)rol)al)ly  from  the  small-pox,  brought  over 
from  England.  Cartwright  also  reports  seeing  Eskimos 
at  Huntington  Island  in  17S3,  also  at  Chateau  Bay.  where 
they  were  observed  in  i  786. 

The  foregoing  extracts  abundantly  prove  that  the  Es- 
kimos rejieatedly  crossed  to  Newfoundland,  residing,  dur- 
ing the  summer  at  least,  on  the  outer  islands  opposite 
Belle  Isle.  No  reference  is  made  to  the  former  presence 
of  the  Eskimos  in  Newfoundland.  It  is  not  improbable 
that  there  was  at  least  a  sliuht  intercourse  between  the 
Bethuks,  the  aborigines  of  Newfoundland,  said  to  be  a 
branch  of  the  Algonkins,  and  found  to  be  in  possession 
of  the  island  by  Cabot  in  1497.  A  stone  vessel  dug  uj* 
with  other  Bethuk  remains  is  described  as  "an  oblong 
vessel  of  soft  magnesian  stone,  hollowed  to  the  depth  of 
two  inches,  the  lower  edges  forming  a  S(|uare  of  three 
and  a  half  inches  in  the  sidles.  In  one  corner  is  a  hollow 
groove,  which  apparently  served  as  a  spout."*  If  this  is, 
as  has  been  suggested  to  us  by  Professor  Tylor,  attribut- 
able to  the  influence  of  Eskimo  art,  the  style  may  have 
been  suggested  by  the  possible  intercourse  of  these  ab- 
origines with  the  wandering  Eskimos. 

*  Newfoundland,  ils  history,  its  present  condition,  and  its  prospects  in  the 
tuture.  By  Joseph  Hatton  and  the  Rev.  M.  Harvey,  Boston,  18S3,  p.  169.  See 
also  Mr.  Lloyd's  paper,  Journal  of  the  Anthropolojiical  Institute  of  Great  Brit- 
ain and  IreUnd. 


25<S    IIIK    I-AHkADOR    KSKIMOS   AND    IIIKIK    1()I<N:i:R    KANCJE. 


In  connection  wilh  the  subject  of  tlie  relations  between 
the  Indians  of  Newfoiuuiland  and  the  Labrador  Hskimos, 
may  be  cited  the  followinii  statement  of  that  industrious 
historian,  the  hue  Jesuit,  Father  Vetromile.  In  an  ar- 
ticle entitled  "  Acadia  and  its  Aborigines,"*  he  "-'ays  : 
"The  Etchimins,  Micmacs,  and  .Vbenakis  are  very  often 
considered  as  one  nation,  not  only  on  account  of  the 
similarity  of  their  language,  customs,  suavity  of  manners, 
and  attathment  to  the  T'rench,  but  also  for  their  league 
in  defending  themselves  a<>ainst  the  English.  Although 
the  Micmacs  are  generally  somewhat  smaller  in  size  than 
the  other  Indians  of  .Acadia  and  New  I-'rance,  yet  they 
are  e(]ually  brave.  They  have  made  a  long  war  against 
the  Esquimaux  (eaters  of  raw  llesh),  whom  they  have 
followed  and  attacked  in  their  caverns  and  rocks  of  Lab- 
rador, f     Newfoundland  must   have  several   times  been 


u 


V 


r 


*  Colleclions  of  the  Maine  Hist  Snc,  vii,,  pp.  339-341).  1876.  Communi- 
cated Ian.  16,  1S62. 

I  Father  Vetromile  evidently  lakes  this  statement  from  Charlevoix,  who  in 
his  Histoire  gencrale  de  la  Nouvelle  France,  i.,  p.  124.  remarks  after  speaking  of 
the  Micmacsof  .Acadia:  "Ilsonl  fait  lontems  tine  criielle  guerre  aux  P'squimaux, 
et  pour  les  aller  atiaquer  jusques  dans  leurs  Cavernes,  et  sur  leurs  Rochers, 
ils  lie  craignoienl  point  de  faire  trente  a  quarante  lieues  en  Mer,  dans  leurs  Ca- 
nols  d'C'Corce."  That  Newfoundland  was  the  field  of  hard  wars  between  the 
Micmacs  and  Eskimos,  seems  to  be  a  pure  assumption  on  the  part  of  Vetromile. 
Charlevoix,  however,  on  p.  421,  vol.  i.,  of  his  Histoire,  remarks:  "  On  ii'a  ja- 
mais vu  sur  ses  Cotes,  que  des  Eskimaux,  qui  y  passent  de  la  grande  Terre  de 
Labrador,  pour  chaffer,  et  pour  faire  la  Traitte  avec  les  Europcens  ;  mais  ces 
Sauvagesont  souvenl  parte  d'autres  Peuples,  avec  qui  ils  sont  en  commerce." 

In  vol.  iii,  p.  17S,  again  discoursing  of  the  Eskimos  of  Newfoundland,  Charle 
voix  remarks  :  "  Ce  qui  est  certain,  c'est  qu'on  n'y  a  jamais  vft  que  des  Eski- 
maux, qui  n'en  sont  pas  originaires.  Leur  veritable  Patrie  est  la  Terre  de  Ln- 
/'orai/or,  ou  Labrador;  c'est  la  du  moins,  qu'ils  passent  la  plus  grande  partie  de 
I'annee;  car  ce  seroit,  ce  semble,  profaner  le  doux  nom  de  Patrie,  que  de  le 
doniier  a  des  Barbares  errons,  qui  ne  s'affectionnent  a  aucun  Pays,  &  qui  pou- 
vant  a  peine  peupler  deux  ou  trois  Villages,  embrassent  un  Terrein  immense. 
En  effet,  outre  les  Cotes  de  Terre-Neuve,  que    les    Eskimaux  parcourent    pen- 


\i. 


.KSKl.MO   TRADITIONS. 


259 


the  fit'ld  of  lianl  wars  between  the  Micmaes  and  Esqui- 
maux ;    the  hitter   were    always  ehased   l)y  the   foniicr" 

(l>-  339). 

Nearly  all  the  extraets  we   have  made  tend  to  show 

that  the  I^.skimos  were  ijeneiallv  driven  northward  bv  the 
Indians  and  eonfined  by  them  to  their  natural  habitat, 
the  treeless  regions  of  arctic  America,  whither  the  In- 
dians themselves  did  not  care  to  penetrate. 

In  181  1  two  Moravian  missionaries*  explored  the 
northern  coast  of  Labrador  from  Okkak  to  Un^ava  Bay, 
making  an  excellent  map  of  this  part  of  the  coast.  The 
expedition  arose  from  their  desire  to  establish  missions 
where  the  Eskimos  were  abundant,  as  farther  down  the 
coast  they  were  regarded  as  "  mere  stragglers." 

An  Eskimo  tradition  of  interest  is  mentioned  in  this 
hook,  as  follows  :  "July  24th.  Amitok  lies  N.  W.  from 
Kummaktorvik,  is  of  an  oblong  shape,  and  stretches  out 
pretty  far  towards  the  sea.  The  hills  are  of  moderate 
height,  the  land  is  in  many  places  Hat,  but  in  general 
destitute  of  grass.  On  the  other  side  are  some  ruins  of 
(ireenland  |  Eskimo]  houses. 

"The   Esquimaux  have  a  tradition   that   the   Green- 


dant  rEt6,  dans  tout  ce  vaste  Continent,  qui  est  entre  le  Fleuve  Saint-Laurent, 
le  Canada,  &  la  Mer  du  Nord,  on  n'a  encore  vfi  que  des  Eskimaux.  On  en  a 
nieme  trouvt  assez  loin  en  remontant  le  Fleuve  Bourbon,  qui  se  dccharge  dans 
la  Baye  d'Hudson,  venant  de  I'Occident." 

Nuttall,  in  his  Manual  of  Ornithology,  Water  Birds  (Boston,  1834),  speaking 
of  the  great  auk,  says  :  '•  Many  are  said  to  breed  on  the  desert  coasts  of  New- 
foundland, where  they  have  been  seen  jy  navigators,  though  not  recently. 
According  to  Pennant,  the  Esquimaux,  w'io  frequented  this  island,  made  cloth- 
ing of  the  skins  of  these  birds." 

*  Journal  of  a  voyage  from  Okkak,  on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  to  Ungava  Bay, 
westward  of  Cape  Chudleigh,  undertaken  to  explore  the  coast  and  visit  the  Es- 
quimaux in  that  unknown  region.  By  Benj.  Kohlmeister  and  George  Knoch, 
missionaries  of  the  Church  of  the  Unitas  Fratrum.     London,  1814,  Svo,  pp.  83. 


t:i: 


260    IIIK    I.AHKADOk    KSKIMOS    AM)     IIIKIK    l-ORMKU    KANdK. 


,.  I 


hi 
ft 

III  : 

I: 

u 


landers  |  i.e.,  Greenland  Eskimos  |  came  originally  from 
Canada,  and  settled  on  the  outermost  islands  of  this 
coast,  but  never  penetrated  into  the  country  before  they 
were  driven  eastward  to  Greenland.  This  report  gains 
some  credit  from  the  state  in  which  the  above-mentioned 
ruins  arc  found.  Thev  consist  in  remains  of  walls  and  a 
grave,  with  a  low  stone  enclosure  round  the  tomb,  cov- 
ered with  a  slab  of  the  same  material.  They  have  been 
discovered  on  islands  near  Nain,  and  though  sparingly, 
all  along  the  whole  eastern  coast,  but  we  saw  none  in 
Ungava  Bay." 

The  following  extracts  from  Robinson's  "  Notes  on  the 
Coast  of  Labrador,"*  throw  some  further  light  on  the 
early  occupation  of  southern  Labrador  and  eastern  Can- 
ada by  the  Eskimos: 

"The  Esquimau  tradition  concerning  the  Norse- 
men is  clear  enough  :  that  they  were  a  gigantic  race,  of 
great  strength — were  very  fierce,  and  delighted  to  kill 
people — that  they  themselves  could  not  be  killed  by 
either  dart  or  arrow,  which  rebounded  from  their  breasts 
as  from  a  rock.  The  Esquimaux  suppose  these  giants 
still  to  e.xist,  only  very  far  north."     (Page  28). 

"When  the  French  first  frequented  the  coast,  it  was  in 
possession  of  the  Esquimaux  up  as  far  as  the  west  end  of 
Anticosti.  It  appears  that  they  had  not  been  long  in 
possession  before  the  arrival  of  the  Europeans,  and  that 
they  had  got  it  by  conquest.  During  the  time  they  held 
the  coast,  it  would  seem,  the  Esquimau  country  was 
the  champ  tfhonneur  of  all  the  tribes  of  Indians  from 
New  England  and  the  Lakes  to  Hudson's  Bay.     Mic- 


Trans.  Lit.  and  Hist.  Soc,  Quebec,  iv.  i.  Feb.,  1843. 


■pm 


''>l 


ESKIMOS    AND    MOl'N  TAINEKKS. 


!6l 


macs  and  iVhinaquis,  from  Nova  Scotia  and  Maine  ; 
Iro(iuois,  from  lakes  Cliamplain  and  Ontario;  Alyon- 
(juins  and  Xascopies,  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence — all  sent 
their  war  parties  a<j:ainst  the  I^^s(iuimaux  :  as  to  their  im- 
me(hate  neighbors,  tlie  Monntaineers,  a  continual  war 
ragcvl  hetween  them. 

"  Notwithstandint;  all  these  enetjiies.  the  Escpiimau.x 
maintained  their  concjuests  with  a  strong  haml,  and,  it  is 
j)robable,  would  have  progressed  farther  south  if  the 
Europeans  had  not  arrived.  No  account  of  their  num- 
bers has  come  down  to  us;  vet  from  various  items  it 
would  a|)j)earto  be  seventy  thousand.  When  l)e  Monts 
first  settled  Port  Royal  in  Nova  Scotia  in  1605,  he  was 
surprised  with  the  appearance  of  an  Indian  army  near 
his  settlement,  of  four  hundred  men,  who  had  just  re- 
turned from  an  expedition  against  the  Es(|uimaux.  It 
would  seem  by  this  that  the  parties  who  ventured  into 
the  I'^squimau  country  were  numerous"  (pp.  42.  43). 

"  I  have  said  that  they  maintained  their  concjuests 
along  the  Gulf  shore  until  about  the  year  1600,  when 
the  Mountaineers,  having  received  firearms  from  the 
French,  and  learned  the  use  of  them,  this  soon  turned 
the  scale,  as  it  does  everywhere  else,  and  the  Esquimaux 
were  forced  to  give  ground,  retiring  downwards  to  the 
Straits,  and  concentrating  themselves  on  Esquimaux  Is- 
land, about  one  mile  from  the  house  of  the  late  Mr.  N. 
Lloyd,  of  St.  Paul's.  There  they  fortified  themselves  in 
a  camp,  with  walls  composed  of  stone  and  turf,  with  a 
ditch  outside,  in  circuit  more  than  half  a  mile,  which  re- 
mains almost  entire  to  this  day.  In  this  fort  they  main- 
tained themselves  till  about  the  year  1640,  when  they 
were  assaulted  bv  the  Mountaineers  aided  bv  the  French, 


. !  I 


w^ 


262     rilK    I-AI5U.\I)()k    KSKIMOS   AND    rilKIK    lOKMKR    l<AN(;K. 


!       I 


w 

I'!    'V  ■ 


r 


iMl 


i 


.t- 


^ 


and  cither  totally  extirpated  or  expelled  ;  the  few  that 
escaped  returning  to  the  north,  outside  of  the  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle.  In  this  assault,  it  is  said,  more  than  i.ooo 
were  slain,  and  hy  the  (juantity  of  human  bones  scattered 
over  the  island  I  should  think  the  number  was  not  over- 
rated. After  their  expulsion  from  the  Gulf  shores  they 
occasionally  made  predatory  excursions  against  the 
French — coming  into  the  Straits,  early  in  the  spring,  in 
skin-boats — burning  fishing-rooms,  boats,  etc.,  killing  the 
guardians  or  making  them  lly.  Twice  they  assaulted 
liradore  during  the  times  of  the  Courtemanches,  in  one 
of  which  they  lost  four  hundred  men  :  indeed,  they  con- 
tinued this  warfare  until  three  years  before  the  contjuest ; 
when,  after  destroying  several  fishing-stands  along  the 
Straits,  they  were  repulsed  by  some  sealing  crews  at 
Pennoyer  River  (pp.  45,  46). 

The  following  extract  from  Arthur  Dobbs's  "  An  Ac- 
count of  the  Countries  adjoining  to  Hudson's  Bay" 
(London,  1744)  throws  light  on  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence on  the  East  Main,  nearly  two  centuries  ago,  be- 
tween the  red  Indians  and  the  Eskimos: 

"The  East  Main  from  Slade  River  to  Hudson's 
Streight  is  least  known,  there  being  no  factories  fixed 
there  for  Trade,  altho'  the  best  Sable  and  black  Fox 
skins  are  got  there.  Here  the  Nodway  or  Eskimaux 
hidians  live,  who  are  in  a  manner  hunted  and  destroyed 
by  the  more  southerly  Indians,  being  perpetually  at  war 
with  each  other." 

The  stone  structures,  particularly  the  grave  or  dolmen- 
like burial-places  referred  to  by  the  Moravians,  are  of 
course  matters  of  very  great  interest.  In  connection 
with  that  statement  we  would  draw  attention  to  the  fol- 


r.SKIMo   (;UAVKS. 


263 


lowing  extract  from  "  Tlu,'  three  vovaijes  of  M.irtiii 
Frol)isher,"  second  voyage,  1577,  IlaUluyt  Society,  Lon- 
don, 1867,  |).    136 : 

"  In  one  of  the  small  islands  here  |  near  Lecester's 
Hand  in  Beares  sound  |  we  founde  a  tomhe,  wherein  the 
bones  of  a  dead  man  lay  to^etlier,  and  our  savage  hein^ 
with  us  and  tlemanded  (by  sij^nes)  whether  his  country- 
man had  not  slain  this  man  and  eat  his  llesh  so  from  the 
bones,  he  made  signes  to  the  coiurarie,  and  that  lie  was 
slain  with  wolves  and  wild  beastcs.'* 

Although  it  is  generally  stated  that  the  TLskimos  seldom 
if  ever  bury  their  dead,  the  'oregoin[»-  .-.tatement  would 
show  that  in  early  times  at  least  t>,r;y  took  pains  to  place 
the  corpse  in  stone  tombs.  I  found  at  lioj)edale,  in  1864, 
two  skeletons,  evidently  Eskimo,  interred  in  the  follow- 
mg  manner  :  while  walking  over  a  high  bare  hill  north- 
east of  the  station  I  discovered  a  pole  projecting  from 
what  seemed  a  fissure  in  the  rock  ;  it  proved  to  be  the 
sign  of  an  Eskimo  grave  ;  the  pole  projected  from  the 
chasm,  which  was  about  fifteen  inches  wide  and  twenty 
or  twenty-four  inches  in  depth  ;  the  opening  was  covered 
by  a  few  large  stones  laid  across  the  fissure.  At  the 
bottom  lay  the  remains  of  two  skeletons  entirely  exposed 
to  the  elements,  with  no  soil  over  them.  The  skulls 
were  tolerably  well  preserved,  and  so  were  the  long 
bones,  but  the  vertebrae,  ribs,  etc.,  had  mostly  decayed. 
Judging  by  the  way  in  which  such  objects  are  preserved 
in  the  open  air  on  this  coast,  the  burial  must  have  been 
made  at  least  over  half  a  century  ago,  but  more  probably 
from  one  to  three  centuries  since. 

Mr.  Holme  found  on  Eskimo  Island,  twelve  miles 
west  of  Rigolet,  about  seventy  graves.     "  These  graves 


isilil; 


I.  II  1,1 1  iiUli 


I  • 


264   TMK    !,AI{KA1)<M<    KSKIMOS    AND    THEIR    FOUMER    RANGE. 


!•'  'I, 


u 


fi  I 


i  (I  ■ 

I  [k 

'1         iu 


were  made  in  the  orcliiiary  Eskimo  custom,  not  being 
underground,  although  the  soil  was  by  no  means  defi- 
cient, but  consisting  of  rough  unhv  wn  blocks  of  stone 
heaped  together  in  an  oblong  form,  the  inside  measure- 
ments being  2  feet  by  i^  feet.  Many  of  them  had  been 
disturbed  by  bears  or  wolves,  but  in  most  of  them  a  skull 
and  bones  were  lying.* 

We  now  glean  the  following  extracts  from  Hind's 
excellent  Explorations  in  the  Interior  of  the  Labrador 
Peninsula,  which  show  that  the  Eskimos  spread  south- 
westward  along  the  coast  of  Labrador  as  far  as  the  Min- 
gan  Islands. 

Speaking  of  the  Montagnais  or  coast  Indians  of  Lab- 
rador, he  writes  :  "Of  their  wars  with  the  Mohawks  to 
the  west,  and  the  I^^squimaux  to  the  east,  between  twp 
and  three  hundred  years  ago,  there  not  only  remain 
traditions,  but  the  names  of  many  places  in  the  Labra- 
dor peninsula  are  derived  from  bloody  battles  with  their 
bold  and  cruel  enemies,  or  the  stolid  and  progressive 
Esquimaux"  (ii.  p.  11). 

"  The  summit  of  the  Great  Boule,  seven  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea,  and  the  brow  of  the  bold  peninsula  on  the 
west  side  of  the  harbor  |  Seven  Island  Bay|  were  two 
noted  outlooks  in  the  good  old  Montagnais  times.  They 
are  not  unfrequently  visited  now,  when  the  Indians  of  the 
coast  wish  to  show  their  country  to  the  Nasquapees  from 
the  interior,  and  to  tell  them  of  their  ancient  wars  with 
the  Esquimaux.  .  .  .  They  were  able  to  hold  their  own 
against  the  Esquimaux  in  consequence  of  the  almost  ex- 
clusively maritime  habits  of  the  people,  who  rarely  as- 


•'I 


i  111 


Proc.  Roy.  Geographical  Soc,  April,  1888,  p.  193. 


<B 


^-a 


KSKIMO    IN     THK   CULF   OF   ST.    I.AWKFNCK. 


265 


ive 

eet 
the 
two 


cended  the  rivers  farther  than  the  first  falls  or  rapids ; 
and  they  fearlessly  pursued  their  way  through  the  interior 
of  the  country  as  far  as  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  and 
Hamilton  Inlet,  hut  exercising  the  utmost  caution  as 
they  approached  the  sea  to  hunt  for  seals"  (p.  30). 

Of  the  Mingan  Islands  Esquimaux  Island  was  so 
named  "  because  the  Esquimaux  were  wont  to  assemble 
there  every  spring  in  search  of  seals,"  etc.,  etc.  (p.  49). 

"  The  ruins  of  Brest  must  not  be  confounded  with 
those  of  the  old  Esquimau  fort  some  distance  farther  up 
the  straits,  and  which  are  found  on  Esciuimaux  Island  in 
St.  Paul's  Bay.  These  ruins,  consisting  of  walls  com- 
posed of  stone  and  turf,  remain  almost  entire  to  this 
day  ;  *  and  on  the  same  island  are  large  numbers  of 
human  bones,  the  relics  of  a  great  battle  between  the 
Montagnaisand  French  on  one  side  and  the  Esquimaux 
on  the  other,  which  were  found  about  1840"  (p.  130).+ 

"At  Fox  Harbor  there  is  a  small  settlement  of  Esqui- 
maux, who  are  now  orderly  and  industrious  Christian 
people,  fruits  of  the  faithful  labors  of  the  missionary  at 
Battle  Harbor,  who  has  resided  eight  years  on  the  coast" 
(p.  198). 

"  Seals  have  been  the  chief  cause  of  the  wars  between 
the  Montagnais  and  Esquimaux  of  the  Labrador  penin- 
sula, and  most  of  the  conflicts  between  these  people 
have  taken  place  at  the  estuaries  of  rivers  known  to  be 
favorite  haunts  of  the  seal "  (p.  204). 


I 


hi: 


h 


*  Robertson  of  Sparr  point. 

f  In  an  intere<!ting  map  in  Charlevoix's  Histoire,  vol.  i.,  faring  p.  41S,  the 
site  of  Brest  is  indicated  by  "  Fort  Ponchartrain,"  while  the  "old  Esquimaux 
fort  "of  Hind  is  on  this  map  called  "  Vieux  Fort,"  and  is  situated  on  the  west 
side  of  the  mouth  of  Eskimo  River,  at  the  mouth  of  which  is  the  "I.  des  Esqui- 
maux" of  Charlevoix. 


ij;t 


I 


§ 


1     :. 


n 


m: 


266  THK    I,A15RADf)R    KSKIMOS   AND   THEIR    KORMER    RANfJE. 

Regarding  the  Eskimos  living  near  Caribou  Island,  at 
the  mouth  of  Esquimaux  River,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  in 
i860  and  several  years  after  that  date,  the  following  in- 
formation has  been  kindly  given  me  by  the  Rev.  C.  C. 
Carpenter,  for  some  years  (1858  to  1865)  a  missionary 
to  this  part  of  the  Labrador  coast  :  "  Concerning  the 
Esquimaux  (*  Huskemaw,' old  father  Chalker  at  Salmon 
Bay  used  to  call  them),  in  my  time  there  was  only  one 
family  living  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  mission, 
and  that  only  a  fragment — the  Dukes  family.  They 
once  lived  at  the  extremity  of  Five  League  Point.  The 
husband  (George  ?)  died  and  the  wife  married  an  Eng- 
lishman, old  Johnny  Goddard.  She  was  a  full-blooded 
Esquimau,  and  could  kill  a  seal  by  imitating  its  appear- 
ance in  dress  and  cry,  just  as  quick  as  the  next  man,  and 
a  good  deal  quicker  if  the  other  was  white !  She  died  at 
a  great  age  about  the  year  1879.  I  was  on  the  coast, 
after  an  absence  of  fifteen  years,  in  1880,  and  was  told 
that  she  was  about  100  years  old,  but  I  deemed  that  an 
exaggeration.  Her  sons  were  George  and  Andrew, 
both  now  dead  of  consumption.  I  buried  George  at 
Middle  Bay  in  1862.  Andrew  died  since  we  came  away. 
He  had  visited  Halifax  and  had  had  his  photograph 
taken  ;  I  have  a  copy  of  it  ;  it  is,  however,  of  a  dressed- 
up  man,  not  my  old  Esquimau  friend.  Both  of  the 
sons  were  unmarried.  A  daughter  of  old  Aunt  Jenny 
Goddard  had  a  daughter,  I  think  by  an  American  sailor. 
She  was  called  Lucy  Dukes,  and  (her  mother  dying)  was 
adopted  by  Mrs.  Goddard.  I  dare  say  you  remember 
her  there  at  Stick  Point  Island  ;  she  was  lame.  She 
married  little  Johnny  Goddard,  nephew  of  old  John, 
and  they  with  several  children  occupy  the  island  home. 


r1; 

lliJi 


.i 


EXTINCTION   OF   THK    ESKIMO. 


26; 


She  said  to  mc  in  1880,  '  There's  my  Jenny,  just  look 
at  her  narrow  features  ;  you  know  (iranny  had  a  very 
narrow  face  !'  And  yet  an  old  sailor  once  sa'd  that  the 
old  woman's  face  was  as  flat  as  a  barn-door ! 

"  There  was  another  family  of  Esquimaux,  whose 
residence  was  at  St.  Augustine  ;  I  cannot  recall  the  sur- 
name. I  used  to  see  one,  '  Louis  the  Estjuimau.'  My 
impression  is  that  one  only  of  that  family  was  living  in 
1880,  for  1  brought  home  Esquimau  dolls  in  full  dress 
made  by  her.  These  I  feel  sure  were  all  the  remnants 
living  in  my  parish,  say  for  lifty  or  a  hundred  miles  up 
and  down  the  coast. 

"The  Esquimaux  in  Southern  Labrador  are  a  rem- 
nant. Once  powerful  there  and  numerous,  they  were 
defeated  in  a  battle  fought  on  Esquimaux  Island  (at  the 
mouth  of  the  river)  by  the  Indians  (Mountaineers),  and 
what  few  were  left  went  northward." 

We  observed  on  Caribou  Island  traces  of  Eskimo 
occupation  in  the  form  of  a  circle  of  stones,  like  that 
observed  farther  north  near  Strawberry  Harbor. 

Along  the  coast  north  of  Hamilton  Inlet  are  a  few 
Eskimos,  half-breeds  and  probably  remnants.  At  Roger's 
Harbor  we  took  aboard  as  pilot  to  Strawberry  Harbor  one 
Cole,  a  half-breed,  p"rt  Eskimo  and  part  Englishman, 
who  had  an  Eskimo  wife  and  two  three-quarters-breed 
children  ;  his  mother  was  an  Eskimo.  There  were  for- 
merly a  few  Eskimos  living  in  this  region,  but  they  had 
died  off  rapidly  within  a  few  years  past  ;  our  pilot  from 
the  States,  Captain  French,  who  had  frequented  this 
coast  for  many  years,  said  that  there  was  now  but  one 
Eskimo  where  there  used  to  be  twenty.  Their  disap- 
pearance seems  due  partly  to  that  of  seal,  fish,  birds,  and 


1 

■.      i 

:      i     . 

i 

j 

'?  i! ' 


i  J 


'   'f 


li  ■  f ;  -^ 


11      i 


5  :'^ 


268     IHE    LAHRADOK    KSKIMOS    AND   THEIR    FORMER    RANGE. 

Other  game,  and  partly  to  contact  with  the  civilization 
of  this  coast,  their  close  winter  houses  inducing  con- 
sumption and  other  chest  troubles  ;  but  whatever  the 
causes,  the  race  is  rapidly  fading  away,  going  by  entire 
families.     Cole  was  intelligent  and  could  read  and  write. 

On  our  way  to  Strawberry  Harbor  we  were  boarded 
by  an  Eskimo  who  paddled  up  to  our  vessel  in  his  kayak. 
He  had  been  living  in  the  bay  during  the  summer.  The 
next  day  I  landed  on  a  little  flat  islet  near  our  harbor, 
and  found  traces  of  recent  Eskimo  occupation.  An 
Eskimo  family  had  evidently  been  summering  there  in  a 
sealskin  tent.  The  marks  of  their  temporary  sojourn 
were  the  circle  of  water-worn  stones  which  had  been 
used  to  pitch  the  tent,  the  feathers  and  bones  of  sea-fowl 
which  had  been  shot  or  snared,  scattered  bones  of  the 
seal,  and  other  unmistakable  signs  of  Eskimo  occupancy 
and  of  Eskimo  personal  uncleanliness.  While  here  we 
learned  that  some  Eskimos  were  spending  the  summer 
on  an  island  hard  by,  and  we  tried  to  find  one  to  pilot 
us  to  Hopedale,  but  were  unsuccessful.  We,  however, 
obtained  one  who  had  received  some  education  and  was 
then  living  ten  miles  up  the  bay  with  a  Norwegian  in 
the  employ  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  his  pay  being 
fifty  dollars  a  year. 

At  the  time  I  visited  Hopedale,  which  was  in  the 
summer  of  1864,  in  the  expedition  of  Mr.  William  Brad- 
ford, the  well-known  artist,  the  Eskimo  population  of 
that  station  was  about  two  hundred.  It  was  reported  to 
us  that  during  the  preceding  March  twenty-four  Eskimos 
had  died  of  "  colds ;"  while  at  Okkak  twenty-one  had  died, 
and  the  same  number  at  Nain.  Thus  over  a  tenth  part 
of  the  native  population  at  these  stations  had  died  of 


THE    MORAVIAN    SKTILEMENTS. 


269 


chest  diseases  in  a  single  month.  This  high  death-rate 
may  be  the  result  of  their  partial  civilization  and  less 
hardy  out-of-door  life,  but  their  houses  are  not  very 
different  from  those  their  savage  ancestors  inhabited. 
The  missionaries  have  wisely  not  attempted  to  force 
upon  them  European  standards  of  living  as  regards  dress 
and  houses,  and  their  system  of  trading  with  them  as 
well  as  teaching  them  does  not  appear  to  have  been  ac- 
countable for  this  rapid  decrease.  On  the  contrary, 
anthropologists  as  well  as  humanitarians  are  under  obli- 
gations to  these  devoted  Moravians  for  their  success 
in  preserving  on  American  soil  this  interesting  peo- 
ple intact,  unmixed,  and  with  some  of  their  harmless 
and  more  interesting  habits  preserved.  They  are,  how- 
ever, doomed,  judging  by  the  |)ast  years'  experience,  to 
ultimate  extinction. 

The  Eskimo  settlement  of  Hopedale,  the  only  one  wc 
visited,  was  founded  in  1782.  It  consisted  in  1864  of 
about  thirty-five  houses,  arranged  with  more  or  less  dis- 
order in  three  principal  streets.  They  are  mostly  built 
of  upright  spruce  logs  with  the  bark  still  on,  dovetailed 
at  the  corners  and  banked  nearly  to  the  eaves  with  turf 
on  the  outside  ;  the  roof  rather  flat,  though  irregular, 
with  a  skylight  and  small  window  in  one  side,  either,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  more  well-to-do  families,  consisting  of 
a  rude  sash  with  four  or  six  glass  panes,  or  panes  of  the 
mtestines  of  the  seal  sewed  together. 

The  house  is  entered  through  a  long  low  porch,  prob- 
ably the  survival  of  an  ancient  style,  i.e.,  the  low  porch 
of  their  snow  houses  through  which  their  forefathers 
crept  on  their  hands  and  knees.  On  entering  we  were 
obliged  to  stoop  low  and  to  circumspectly  make  our  way 


"i 

H  . 

■  'r 

ii 

.'  ■ ' 

M 

h 

i  Niii 


i.-i 


Ml 


f       I 


:|     i 


If  'I 


270   THK   LABRADOR    ESKIMOS   AND   THEIR   FORMER   RANGE. 

between  the  carcass  of  a  seal  or  a  codfish,  as  the  case 
might  be,  and  a  vessel  of  familiar,  democratic  shape  and 
use,  filled  with  urine,  in  which  the  sealskins  are  soaked 
before  being  chewed  between  the  teeth  of  the  housewife, 
an  important  step  in  the  process  of  making  or  mending 
sealskin  boots  ;  while  Eskimo  dogs  of  various  sizes  and 
colors  blocked  the  devious  way. 

Across  the  end  of  the  interior,  which  was  floored  with 
wood,  and  in  which  we  could  not  stand  erect,  was  a 
wooden  bed  or  seat,  a  sort  of  divan,  on  which  sat  a 
woman  in  spectacles  weaving  a  basket  of  dried  rushes 
which  had  been  colored  blue  or  red  ;  she  nodded  a  wel- 
come and  made  us  feel  quite  at  home.  The  other  be- 
longings of  the  house  were  a  hearth  or  fire-plac  •  of  a  few 
pebbles  situated  on  one  side,  a  soapstone  lamp,  which 
was  a  flat  oblong  dish  carved  out  of  soapstone,  of  nor- 
mal Eskimo  design-,  some  knives  of  European  manu- 
facture, needles  and  thread,  while  on  a  shelf  we  noticed 
an  Eskimo  Bible  with  the  owner's  name  written  in  a 
neat  hand  on  the  fly  leaf.  On  the  whole  the  interior 
was  neater  and  less  oflfensive  to  the  eye  and  nostril  than 
we  expected,  as  was  the  exterior.  Beside  the  house,  on 
a  cross-pole  supported  by  two  uprights,  rested  a  kayak, 
and  over  other  horizontal  poles  hung  drying  a  black 
bear's  skin  or  dried  codfish,  as  the  case  might  be.  The 
spaces  between  the  houses  were  rudely  drained,  and  sav- 
ing the  usual  refuse  heap  at  the  rear  of  the  house,  r  dog's 
carcass,  fish  bones,  and  other  rejectamenta,  there  was 
nothing  particularly  repulsive,  though  certainly  nothing 
attractive  about  the  houses.  Two  families  sometimes 
live  in  the  same  house,  which  is  partitioned  off  simply 
by  a  low  rail  passing  through   the  middle.     We  do  not 


rrp' 


KSKIMO    DRESS. 


271 


remember  seeing  any  babies,  and  there  seemed  to  be  few 
children  compared  to  the  adults  ;  here  as  in  the  arctic 
regions  the  Eskimos  having  small  families. 

The  women's  dress  differs  from  that  of  the  Greenland 
Eskimo  in  the  much  longer  tails  of  their  jackets,  which, 
as  seen  in  our  engraving,  nearly  reach  to  the  ground  ; 
by  the  Greenlanders  it  is  worn  but  little  longer  than  the 
men's  ;  this  difference,  as  seen  on  p.  247,  was  remarked  by 
Cranch.  Of  late  years  woolen  goods  have  partly  super- 
seded sealskin,  but  the  pattern  has  been  retained.  An- 
other difference  is  the  form  of  the  kayak  ;  that  of  the 
Labrador  Eskimo  is  much  broader  than  the  Greenland 
kayak,  and  of  clumsier  build,  since  the  frame  of  the  for- 
mer is  made  of  spruce  ;  this  renders  the  Labrador  kayak 
perhaps  safer. 

So  far  as  we  could  see,  the  Labrador  Eskimos  at  and 
north  of  Hopedale  are  full-blooded.  Our  engraving 
is  from  a  photograph  taken  by  Mr.  Bradford,  and 
gives  an  excellent  idea  of  a  Hopedale  Eskimo  couj^le 
with  their  baby.  The  faces  apparently  show  no  trace  of 
foreign  blood,  while  there  is  said  to  be  not  a  full-blooded 
Eskimo  in  the  Greenland  colony,  the  intermixture  with 
the  Danes  and  Scandinavians  in  general  being  thorough- 
going. Few  Europeans  or  Americans  had  previous  to 
1864  visited  the  Labrador  coast  north  of  Hopedale,  and 
there  the  race  has  been  preserved  in  most  cases  intact, 
though  there  may  now  bean  occasional  intermixture  with 
the  Newfoundland  fishermen,  who  now  go  as  far  as  Nain. 

As  to  the  number  and  distribution  of  the  Eskimos 
north  of  the  Moravian  stations,  we  now  have  some  defi- 
nite information  from  Lieut.  Gordon's  report  of  the 
Hudson's   Bay  expedition  of   1884.     He  says:  "I  can- 


:-\        I 


■^mm 


■ii 


,      1 

272    THE    LAHKADOR    ESKIMOS    AND   TIIKIR    FORMER    RANGE. 

not  help  thinking  that  their  numhers  have  sensibly  di- 
minished, inasmuch  as  we  found  signs  of  their  presence 
everywhere  ;  yet  except  at  Port  Burwell,  Ashe  Inlet,  and 
Stupart's  Bay,  none  were  met  with.  About  six  miles 
south  of  Port  Burwell  |  Cape  Chudleigh  |  there  are  the 
remains  of  what  must  once  have  been  a  large  Eskimo 
settlement,  their  subterranean  dwellings  being  still  in  a 
fair  state  of  preservation.  At  the  present  time,  so  far 
as  I  can  learn,  there  are  only  some  five  or  six  Eskimo 
families  between  Cape  Chudleigh  and  Nachvak. 

"  Along  the  Labrador  coast  the  Eskimos  gather  in 
small  settlements  round  the  Moravian  Mission  stations; 
at  these  places  their  numbers  vary  considerably.  Nain 
is  reported  to  be  the  largest  settlement,  and  its  Eskimo 
population  amounts  to  about  two  hundred  souls"  (p.  16.) 

The  following  notes  will  show  how  rapidly  the  Es- 
kimos are  diminishing.  In  an  extract  in  Hind's  Labra- 
dor, published  in  1863,  from  an  article  by  Rev.  L.  T. 
Reichel,  it  is  stated  that  the  number  of  Eskimos  dwelling 
along  the  coast,  which  is  about  500  miles  in  length,  "is 
computed  at  about  1,500,  of  whom  1,163  belong  to  our 
mission.  There  are  about  200  heathen  living  to  the 
north  of  Hebron,  and  there  are  said  to  be  others  scattered 
here  and  there,  but  their  number  cannot  be  considerable, 
and  some  are  settled  at  the  establishments  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company." 

In  1 87 1,  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  Die  Missionen  der 
Briider-Unitiit.  I.,  Labrador,"  Rev.  Mr.  Reichel  stated 
that  the  number  of  Eskimos  is  smaller  than  generally 
supposed.  There  are  along  500  miles  of  the  north  coast 
scarcely  1,500  souls,  of  which  1,124  I've  at  the  six  mis- 


PRESENT   NUMBKK    C»F    LAHKADOK    KsKIMOS. 


273 


der 

ited 

jally 

joast 

Imis- 


sion  stations.     The  "  heathen"  Eskimos  north  of  I  lehron 
scarcely  number  200. 

A.  von  Dewitz,  in  his  "  An  der  Kuste  Labrador's" 
(Mesky,  1881),  informs  us  that  within  the  kist  decade  the 
extinction  of  the  race  has  rapidly  advanced,  and  that  by 
the  end  of  the  century  only  the  last  remnants  of  this 
people  will  be  surviving.  In  the  southern  mission  sta- 
tions almost  all  the  children  die  early,  and  in  the  north- 
ern stations  the  case  is  not  much  better.  The  last  census 
gave  scarcely  1,100  as  living  at  the  stations,  and  about 
50  in  Hamilton  Inlet  (Aivektok  Bay).  There  are  also 
about  100  "  heathen"  Eskimos  on  Cape  Chidley,  and  200 
in  Ungava  Bay. 

Owing  to  the  kindness  of  the  Rev.  B.  La  Trobe,  Sec- 
retary of  the  Moravian  Missions  in  London,  I  have  re- 
ceived the  following  statistics  in  a  letter  dated  August  30, 
1887:  "The  number  of  Eskimos  at  our  stations  at  the 
beginning  of  1886  was  as  follows  :  Hebron,  207;  Hope- 
dale,  160;  Nain,  214;  Okkak,  308;  Ramah,  71  ;  Zoar, 
90  ;  total,  1,050.  Including  these,  we  reckon  that  there 
are  less  than  1,500  Eskimos  on  the  strip  of  coast  from 
Hamilton  Inlet  (Aivektok  Bay)  to  Ungava.  The  race  is 
comparatively  pure,  but  there  are  some  half-breeds,  for 
Hudson's  Bay  Company's  employes  and  other  settlers 
have  married  Eskimo  women.  Whilst  Christian  influ- 
ences are  brought  to  bear  on  the  increasing  number  of 
fishermen  and  sailors  visiting  the  stations,  every  barrier 
is  set  up  against  immorality.  Thirty  years  ago  the  num- 
ber under  charge  of  our  missionaries  was  about  1,200,  I 
expect  purely  Eskimos  ;  now  it  is  about  the  same,  in- 
cluding settler  families.  Zoar  was  commenced  in  1865, 
and  Ramah  in  1871." 


■I       , 


h 


I! '^ 


ill 


('if 


I: 


274   THK    LAHKADOK    KSKIMOS    AND   THKIK    KOKMKU    KAN(;K. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Reichel  gives  some  facts 
showing  the  former  (perhaj)s  temporary)  occupation  by 
Greenland  I^Lskimos  of  some  of  the  outer  islands  of  the 
n(H"thern  part  of  the  coast.  At  Kernertulik  on  Okkak 
Island  is  a  cave  where  traces  of  a  Greenlander's  house  are 
still  to  he  seen.  Javranat,  on  the  mainland  near  Okkak, 
is  so  called  from  the  (jreenlander's  word  Javra,  meaning 
"  frightful,"  in  allusion  to  a  tragedy  in  which  many  Es- 
kimos perished,  having  been  beaten  by  the  strategy  of 
their  Greenland  assailants.  Reichel  also  states  that  in 
early  times  the  Eskimos  were  feared  on  account  of  their 
robberies,  which  were  often  accompanied  by  murder  and 
manslaughter,  as  far  down  in  general  as   Newfoundland, 

Rev.  J.  |.  Curling  states  :  "  By  the  last  census  in  1884 
the  number  of  inhabitantsof  the  coast  from  Blanc  Sablon 
up  to  Cape  Chudleigh  was  4,211.  Erom  Hamilton  In- 
let to  Cape  Chudleigh  there  were  1,425,  of  whom  only 
60  were  Europeans."  (Proc.  Roy.  Geog.  Soc,  Lon- 
don, X.  193,  April,  1888.) 

Our  imperfect  account  of  the  Eskimos  of  the  Mora- 
vian settlements  may  be  supplemented  by  the  following 
remarks  translated  from  Dr.  K.  R.  Koch's  excellent  ar- 
ticle in  the  "  Bremen  Geographical  Journal  "  for  1884,  as 
he  spent  thirteen  months  at  Nain,  and  had  excellent  op- 
portunifies  for  observing  these  people,  and  obtaining 
information  regarding  their  life  during  the  different  sea- 
sons of  the  year: 

*'  While  the  marriages  of  the  Eskimos  are  often  child- 
less and  the  greater  number  of  the  children  die  young, 
the  families  of  the  white  settlers  are  usually  very  robust, 
and  the  children  strong  and  healthy,  while  the  mortality 
is  low.     The  number  of  the  settlers  increases  therefore 


SUMMKU    ANIJ    WINIEK    I-IIK    ()!•    TIIK    KSKI.MO. 


^75 


from  year  to  year,  and  by  tliis  means  tliey  advance  far- 
ther and  farther  towards  the  north.  Ik'sides  tliis  normal 
diminution  of  the  I^skimo  population,  epidemics  appear 
which  are  mainly  introduced  through  the  traffic  with  the 
fishing-vessels,  and  as  the  result  an  extraordinarily  great 
j)ercentage  die  ;  for  example,  when  the  measles  broke 
out  about  three  years  a.i^o  |  1879?]  about  twenty  per  cent 
died. 

"  The  yearly  life  of  the  Eskimos  is  as  follows  :  During 
(he  summer,  and  especially  in  the  hunting  season,  that  is, 
from  May  to  December,  the  Eskimos  with  their  families 
are  scattered  along  the  shore  at  their  different  fishing- 
places.  After  the  men  return  in  May  from  the  reindeer 
hunting,  they  take  their  whole  families  with  them  to  the 
islands  lying  near  the  seashore,  to  hunt  seals.  On  their 
return  to  the  northern  seas  the  seals  follow  the  outside 
edges  of  the  drift  ice,  and  the  hunters  are  often  obliged 
to  drive  far  out  in  their  dog-siedges  to  reach  the  seals' 
course.  Hence  they  wait  with  their  wives  and  children 
upon  the  outer  islands  until  the  coast  ice  has  left  the 
bays  and  straits  between  the  islands.  This  takes  place 
about  the  last  of  June.  Then  they  hasten  back  in  their 
kayaks  to  the  stations  where  they  have  passed  the  winter 
months,  in  order  to  prepare  their  large  sail-boats,  wiiich 
are  generally  purchased  of  the  Newfoundland  fishermen.* 
With  these  they  fetch  their  families,  which  have  in  the 
meanwhile  remained  at  the  spring  fishing-grounds,  and 
go  trout-fishing  in  the  inlets  on  the  river  courses.     Then 


*  In  1864  the  Eskimos  had  no  sail-boats  except  one  large  schooner  they  built 
themselves,  at  Hopedale,  and  at  that  date  there  was  little  if  any  communication 
with  the  Newfoundland  fishermen. 


'■  i 


li   ,;i'i 


U 


h   !    >  i 


f    ' 


i|.'; 


■ 


Iff? 


■t 


t     ,1 
li.  :   ■' 


276  THE    F-AHkADOR    KSKIMOS   AND    PHKIR   FORMER    RANCH. 

follows  for  from  three  to  four  weeks  the  season  of  the 
cod  fishery. 

"As  already  stated,  the  codfish  appear  in  such  vast 
quantities  that  it  would  be  easy  for  the  Eskimos  to 
gather  enough  provision  for  the  winter  for  themselves 
and  their  dogs,  were  it  not  for  the  innate  thriftlessness 
of  the  Eskimo,  which  leads  him  as  soon  as,  with  the  fish 
he  has  caught,  he  has  paid  to  the  mercantile  house  the 
remainder  of  the  debt  contracted  in  the  foregoing  win- 
ter, to  again  renew  his  credit,  and  to  forthwith  abstain 
from  further  fishing,  which  he  might  very  well  carry  on 
until  the  end  of  September.  In  autumn  the  season  of 
reindeer-hunting  again  returns,  whereupon  from  Novem- 
ber till  Christmas-time  the  Eskimos  set  out  upon  the 
autumnal  seal  fishery,  when  they  seek  to  kill  them  in 
their  kayaks  through  the  thin  ice,  or  to  catch  them  in 
nets.  This  mode  of  hunting  is  extremely  toilsome  and 
dangerous.  The  temperature  of  the  air  is  usually  at  this 
time  far  below  the  freezing  point,  sinking  to  from  — 10°  to 
—  20°  C.  and  in  December  seldom  rises  above  —20°  C.  In 
this  temperature  the  Eskimo  sits  for  hours  at  a  time, 
bound  fast  in  his  kayak,  paddling  back  and  forth  in  the 
bays  and  straits,  wet  through  by  the  icy  spray  of  the 
waves,  which  at  once  freezes  on  his  skiff  and  his  clothes. 
If  overtaken  by  a  storm  or  the  darkness  of  the  night  he 
must  seek  shelter  in  any  station  on  the  coast  and  there 
remain  through  the  night  watches  or  await  the  cessation 
of  the  tempest.  In  like  manner  must  those  work  who 
have  set  their  nets.  Often  on  taking  up  the  nets  the 
seals  fall  out  through  the  meshes,  and  must,  with  great 
pains,  be  fished  out  again.  Even  hauling  the  net  out 
from  the  water  is  in  the  extreme  cold  very  disagreeable 


SUMMER    AM)    WINTKR    LIFE   OK   THE    ESKIMO. 


277 


work.  They  take  the  seals  out  morning  and  evening, 
and  in  tlie  mean  time  they  either  sit  coneealed  on  the 
bank  in  order  to  shoot  at  the  ereature,  or  they  paddle  in 
their  kayaks  over  the  bay  with  the  same  object,  for  all 
seals  killed  with  ji^uns  belong  by  contract  to  those  who 
shoot  them. 

"  As  soon  as  the  bays  and  straits  are  covered  with  ice, 
the  seal  fishery,  so  far  as  it  is  carried  on  with  nets,  natu- 
rally ceases,  and  the  Eskimos  go  to  hunt  those  seals  which 
have  been  shut  into  the  bays  by  the  ice.  They  often 
ha  .(J  go  over  very  unsafe  places  upon  the  still  thin  ice, 
and  hence  this  mode  of  hunting  is  often  accompanied  by 
involuntary  cold  baths. 

"About  Christmas-time  all  the  Eskimos  with  their 
families  again  assemble  in  their  winter  houses  at  the  mis- 
sionary stations  where  they  are  settled.  Now  comes  the 
time  of  schooling  for  the  children,  and  the  season  of  rest 
and  religious  duties  for  the  older  persons.  For  more 
than  a  hundred  years  have  the  missionaries  of  the  United 
Brethren  been  active  on  these  shores,  and  it  is  owing  to 
their  zeal  that  nearly  all  the  Eskimos  (except  a  few  fam- 
ilies which  live  quite  far  north  of  Killinek)  have  been 
converted.  But  they  have  not  sought  alone  to  Chris- 
tianize them,  but  also  to  civilize  them  I  believe  that 
upon  the  whole  coast  there  is  not  an  Eskimo  who  can- 
not read,  write,  and  cipher,  although  singularly  enough 
they  are  not,  to  be  sure,  particularly  given  to  this  last  ; 
on  the  other  hand  they  have  an  extraordinary  memory, 
and  I  believe  they  know  well  by  heart  the  usual  church 
tunes.  Through  close  personal  contact  with  the  mission- 
aries they  try  to  gain  information  regarding  European 
customs.     Every  Sunday  afternoon  they  are  allowed  to 


!i!" 


I!. 


ii' 


'\      .:       -  I' 


Ill'  iH'TTiPH 


278   THE    LABRADOR   ESKIMOS   AND   THEIR    FORMER    RANGE. 

come  to  the  missionary  house,  where  illustrated  papers 
which  have  been  sent  as  presents  are  shown  to  them. 
They  are  especially  attracted  by  music,  and  whoever 
plays  to  them  always  finds  a  grateful  public ;  and  they 
are  not  listeners  alone  but  also  play  themselves.  Thus 
the  organ  or  harmonicum  used  in  the  church  service  is 
played  by  Eskimos  in  the  winter  in  the  presence  of  the 
entire  brotherhood,  and  the  organ  is  accompanied  by  a 
small  orchestra  likewise  composed  of  Eskimos." 


/i?' 

pflf 

i'"° 

'.  ■  ■  ■  ■ 
f   r 

i 

4 

1 

urn 


CHAPTER  XIV 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LAURADOU  COAST. 


il   ■■! 


In  its  general  features  the  peninsula  of  Labrador  is 
an  oblong  mass  of  Laurentian  rocks  lying  between  the 
50th  and  60th  parallels  of  latitude.  It  rises  abruptly 
from  the  ocean  as  an  elevated  plateau,  forming  the  ter- 
mination of  the  Laurentian  chain,  which  here  spreads 
out  into  a  vast  waste  of  hills  and  low  mountains.  Thus, 
there  is,  except  near  Cape  Chidley,  no  well-marked,  single 
chain  of  mountains  rising  above  spurs  of  smaller  eleva- 
tions, but  simply  an  interior  height  of  land  with  isolated 
peaks,  irregular  in  its  course,  from  which  streams  take 
their  rise  and  flow  by  various  directions  into  the  ocean. 

This  plateau  of  hills  and  low  mountains  rises  abruptly 

on  the  coast  from  the  ocean  to  a  height  of  from  500  to 

1,000  feet,  and    inland  continues  to    rise    in    peaks  to  a 

height  of  from  1,500  to  about  6,000  feet  until  it  reaches 

the  water-shed  at  a  distance  of  100  to  200  miles  from  the 

coast.     On  the  western  slope  this  plateau  falls  gradually 

away  by  an  easy  descent  towards  the  shores  of  Hudson's 

Bay.     Dr.  Bell  states  that  the  northern  coast  increases 

gradually  northward,  "  until  within  seventy  statute  miles 

of  Cape    Chudleigh,  where  it    has   attained  a  height  of 

about    six  thousand  feet    above  the  sea."     Thence  the 

elevations  or  peaks  decrease  in  height  to  Cape  Chidley 

279 


i    I 


:f      .1 


■'! 


i^    111- 

•i     '    :  ■ 


'■'    'S 


280 


THK    GEf)LO(;Y   OF   THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


or  Chudleigh,  where  they  are  fifteen  hundred  feet  in 
elevation.  He  adds  that  the  highest  land  of  the  Lab- 
rador peninsula  forms  a  regular  range  of  mountains 
parallel  to  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  this  range  becoming 
progressively  narrower  from  Hamilton  Inlet  to  Cape 
Chidley.     (Report  for  1884,  10.  DD.) 

On  the  south,  the  coast  has  a  northeasterly  trend,  fol- 
lowing the  coast-line  of  the  southern  Atlantic  border  of 
the  continent.  From  Belle  Isle,  situated  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  the  eastern  coast  trends  in  a 
northwesterly  direction  to  Cape  Chidley,  thus  follow- 
ing the  northwesterly  trend  of  the  northern  Atlantic 
coast-line  of  the  continent  from  Cape  Race  in  New- 
foundland to  the  head  of  Baffin's  Bay,  near  latitude  80°. 
It  thus  lies  parallel  to  the  western  coast  of  Greenland. 
The  northeasterly  trend  of  the  southern  coast  of  Labra- 
dor is  determined  by  the  same  course  of  the  Laurentian 
range  of  syenites  and  gneiss  rocks  which  forms  the 
northern  shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Gulf  and  River.  Its 
northwesterly  course  beyond  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  is 
likewise  determined  by  a  range  of  syenites  and  trap- 
rocks,  upheaved  in  a  general  N.  W.  and  S.  E.  direction. 
Thus  the  interior  plateau  of  Laurentian  gneiss  seems 
surrounded  by  a  framework  of  igneous  rocks,  which 
has  apparently  preserved  to  this  day  the  original  form 
and  proportions  of  the  Atlantic  slope  of  the  azoic 
nucleus  of  our  continent. 

Laurentian  Gneiss  and  Syenite. — Between  Little 
Mecatina  Island  and  Henley  Harbor  there  is  a  great 
uniformity  in  the  rocks,  which  are  either  wholly  gneiss, 
or  more  commonly  a  syenitic  gneiss,  forming  bold  head- 
lands.    At    Bradore    are  two  lofty  hills  of  gneiss,  esti- 


i.i 


THE   LAURENTIAN    ROCKS. 


281 


mated  by  Bayfield  to  be  twelve  hundred  feet  high.  Be- 
tween Belles  Amours  and  Anse-au-Sablon,  on  the  north- 
ern side  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  occur  the  lower 
Silurian  or  Taconic  rocks,  which  have  been  already  fully 
described  in  the  "  Geology  of  Canada,"  published  by  the 
Canadian  Geological  Survey.  In  coasting  within  a  mile 
or  two  of  this  interesting  region  we  see  the  red  sand- 
stones running  out  as  a  low  point  of  land  resting  on  the 
lofty,  precipitous  Laurentian  rocks.  Between  Bradore 
Bay  and  Anse-au-Loup  these  sandstones  nnd  grits  rise 
up  to  a  height  of  five  to  six  hundred  feet,  forming  the 
coast-line  ;  and  looking  up  through  the  bays  and  harbors 
we  can  see  the  low  conical  hills  of  Laurentian  gneiss  in 
the  interior.  At  the  eastern  termination  of  this  forma- 
tion the  Laurentian  rocks  rise  into  high,  rugged,  and 
broken  syenitic  hummocks,  in  marked  contrast  with  the 
regular  terraces  and  smooth  slopes  of  the  fossiliferous 
sandstones  and  limestones.  Approaching  Henley  Har- 
bor, there  is  a  visible  change  in  the  scenic  features  of 
the  coast;  the  hills  grow  more  regular  in  outline,  and 
slope  gradually  to  the  water,  giving  us  the  peculiar 
physiognomy  of  the  Laurentian  gneiss. 

Upon  entering  Henley  Harbor  the  dark  gneiss  is  seen 
resting  upon  syenite,  and  at  the  point  of  contact  inter- 
penetrated by  irregular  intrusive  masses  of  the  latter 
rock.  On  Henley  Island,  where  these  rocks  crop  out 
under  the  trap  capping  this  island,  there  appears  a  true 
syenitic  gneiss,  very  hard,  distinctly  stratified,  and  of  the 
usual  flesh  color  of  the  syenite. . 

At  this  point  I  broke  off  some  pieces  of  nearly  un- 
stratified  syenite  which  showed  very  distinctly  the  sedi- 
mentary origin   of  the  rock,  for  the  cavities  were  often 


m 


I  : : 


I  "Si- 

I  Hi    I 


li 


282 


THE   CIEOLOGV    OF  THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


partly  rounded  and  contained  rolled  quartz  pebbles,  one 
being  ovate  and  nearly  two  inches  long.  This  syenitic 
gneiss  was  evidently  an  altered  conglomerate. 

The  syenite  is  the  same  as  occurs  on  the  coast  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  River,  and  while  of  the  same  color  as  that  of 
the  Maine  and  Nahant  syenite,  differs  in  its  greater  hard- 
ness and  in  the  absence  of  black  hornblende.  It  is  com- 
posed of  a  flesh-red  orthoclase  or  potash  feldspar  and  a 
smoky  and  glassy  quartz  with  minute  particles  of  horn- 
blende disseminated  sparsely  through  the  mass.  It  is 
exceedingly  tough  and  durable,  as  evidenced  by  the  lofty 
capes  and  islands  standing  far  up  above  the  gneiss  rocks 
spreading  around  the  base  of  the  overflows. 

At  the  northern  end  of  the  island  the  syenitic  gneiss 
dips  under  the  trap  in  a  southeasterly  direction  at  an 
angle  of  50°.  On  an  island  a  few  rods  farther  to  the 
north  the  gneiss  assumes  its  usual  character,  being 
banded  with  light  and  dark  strata,  and  has  the  general 
N.  N.  E.  strike  and  dip  indicated  above. 

At  Square  Islfwid,  which  lies  at  the  mouth  of  a  deep 
bay  just  north  of  Cape  St.  Michael  occurs  in  large, 
conical  hills  what  I  judge  to  be  the  great  anorthosite  for- 
mation of  Logan  and  Hunt,  composed  of  large,  crystal- 
line masses  of  labradorite,  with  a  little  vitreous  quartz, 
and  coarse,  crystalline  masses  of  hornblende.  The  lab- 
radorite is  of  a  smoky  color,  very  lustrous,  translucent 
and  opalescent,  with  cleavage  surfaces  often  two  inches 
in  diameter,  and  on  some  of  the  faces  presents  a  greenish 
reflection.  This  is  but  a  slight  approach  to  the  rich 
blue  reflections  of  the  precious  labradorite  which  I  have 
seen  only  at  Ilopedale,  where  we  obtained  specimens 
brought    from    the    interior    by    the     Eskimos    which 


H 


THK    LAURENTIAN    ROCKS. 


283 


compared  favorably  with  specimens  from  the  Ural 
Mountains. 

As  the  rock  weathers,  the  greenish  hornblende  crystals 
project  in  masses  sometimes  two  inches  in  diameter.  This 
rock  easily  weathers,  and  large  masses  are  detached  by 
frosts  and  readily  crumble  to  pieces.  The  gneiss  rests 
on  the  south  side  of  the  hill.  From  the  top  of  the  hills 
here  can  be  seen  huge  gneiss  mountains  at  least  two 
thousand  feet  high,  rising  in  vast  swells  at  a  distance  of 
fifteen  to  twenty  miles  in  the  interior,  while  the  bay  is 
filled  with  innumerable  skiers  and  islets  of  gneiss. 

At  Cape  Webuc  or  Harrison  the  gneiss  again  appears 
upon  the  coast  as  a  lofty  headland  faced  with  steep  preci- 
pices of  syenite.  From  off  this  cape  are  seen  in  the 
interior  lofty  mountains,  of  which  the  central  and  high- 
est peak  is  called  Mount  Misery,  which  in  this  clear 
climate  can  be  plainly  seen  in  pleasant  weather  by  fisher- 
men at  a  distance  of  seventy-five  miles  in  an  air  line. 
At  Strawberry  Harbor  on  the  south  side  of  Thomas  Bay 
are  lofty  syenite  hills.  This  point  is  fifty-five  miles 
north  of  Cape  Webuc.  It  is  a  small,  deep  hole  in  the 
coast,  like  a  "purgatory,"  and  an  amphitheatre  of  rock 
rises  around  it  in  huge  steps,  affording  a  striking  illustra- 
tion of  the  power  of  the  frost  and  waves  on  this  exposed 
coast.  The  rock  is  a  hard,  tough,  flesh-colored  syenite, 
with  deep  vertical  and  horizontal  fissures  resulting  from 
the  decomposition  of  thin  trap  dykes,  thus  causing  huge 
blocks  of  syenite  to  be  detached  and  fall  down.  In  sail- 
ing twenty-five  miles  up  this  bay,  the  gneiss  rises  on 
each  side  from  the  ocean  into  hills  eight  hundred  to  one 
thousand  feet  in  height.  About  Hopedale,  which  is  in 
latitude  55°  30',  the  rocks  are  gneiss.      Behind  the  Mis- 


'  (I! 


iiil 


,1   r 


i 


ii  -  f 


i^'f'i 


o:!li. 


^li 

'  1 

IflffiLi 

284 


THE  f;KOL(3GY  OK  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


■ 


' . 

'  1 

i'^ 

3 

.1 

*    ' ' ' 

- 

s- 


m 


•I 


Jjll'f; 


sion  House  the  strata  are  much  disturbed  locally  ;  at  one 
locality  the  gneiss  with  veins  of  quartz  and  syenite 
trends  northwesterly  and  dips  6o°  west.  Trap  dykes^ 
prismatic  in  places,  cross  the  island  in  a  northeasterly 
direction. 

Northward  of  Hopedale  the  "  Aulezavic  gneiss"  of 
Lieber  forms  the  coast  range  of  mountains,  which,  ac- 
cording to  Lieut.  Curtis  (Trans.  Geol.  Soc,  London, 
vol.  ii.  1773),  rise  to  a  height  of  2,733  feet  at  Mount 
Thoresby,  on  an  island  south  of  Kiglapeit.  This 
observer  states  that  Kiglapeit  is  evidently  higher  than, 
but  inferior  to,  Kaumajet,  which  *'  has  been  seen  thirty 
leagues  from  land,"  and  is  lower  than  Nachvak,  which 
must  be  three  thousand  feet  high. 

At  Aulezavik  Island  near  Cape  Chidley,  according  to 
Mr.  Lieber,  "  syenitic  gneiss  is  the  true  rock  of  the 
region,  the  normal  one,  although  so  many  modifications 
occur  that  entirely  new  rocks  are  produced,  having  no 
direct  connection  with  the  basic  syenitic  gneiss.  In 
jonsequence  of  this  we  have  beds  in  which  quartz  alone 
occurs,  or  beds  entirely  occupied  by  the  red  feldspar  of 
the  region,  as  is  seen  with  very  beautiful  distinctness  in 
some  of  the  dangerous  Pikkintit  Islands.  Again,  some 
beds  are  composed  of  white  quartz  and  tourmaline  as  in 
Norway,  others  contain  scarcely  anything  but  black 
hornblende,  or  tourmaline  and  garnets.  Some  are  com- 
posed of  green  hornblende,  approximating  to  actinolite. 
From  this  there  seems  to  be  a  passage  into  a  coarse 
diorite  rather  porphyroid  in  its  character,  but  occurring 
in  regular  intercalated  beds,  not  in  dykes,  and  evincing 
no  sign  of  an  eruptive  origin.  Again,  some  beds  are 
composed  of  quartz  and  garnet,  while  others  are  studded 


rse 


IP" 


re 


LAURENTIAN   TKAl'-ROCKS. 


285 


with  a  beautiful  golden-colored  mica.  A  rock  which  ap- 
pears identical  with  aphanite,  although  not  at  all  igneous, 
I  also  found,  yet,  with  all  this  apparent  variety,  the  transi- 
tions are  too  gradual  to  permit  the  differences  to  leave 
any  effect  on  tne  landscape." 

For  some  notes  on  the  geology  of  Hamilton  Inlet  we 
are  indebted  to  Mr.  Davies  :  "In  some  places  mica  slate 
was  found — it  is  said  that  the  Mealy  Mountains  are  com- 
posed of  this  rock.  I  had  no  opportunity  of  verifying 
this  fact,  as  I  did  not  visit  them.  Granite  was  only  seen 
in  one  place,  viz.,  on  Lake  Keith,  an  expansion  of  the 
Grand  River,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  from 
its  mouth.  Specimens  of  chlorite  schist  were  also  pro- 
cured on  this  lake,  as  was  also  a  specimen  of  sandstone, 
with  disseminated  grains  of  iron  pyrites.  At  some  dis- 
tance below  the  lake,  primary  marble,  of  a  beautiful 
whiteness,  was  seen  cropping  out  at  the  edge  of  the 
water  ;  it  was  found  in  contact  with  a  quartz  rock  jxiss- 
ing  into  mica  slate,  having  crystals  of  common  garnet 
imbedded  in  it ;  this  was  the  only  place  where  limestone 
of  any  sort  was  seen. 

"  The  shores  of  the  bay  where  they  are  not  of  rock  are 
generally  composed  of  rolled  fragments  of  syenite,  mica- 
slate,  quartz,  hornblende,  sometimes  in  large  masses, 
feldspar,  etc.  Magnetic  iron  in  the  form  of  sand  was 
also  met  with  in  some  of  the  small  coves." 

Laurentiari  Trap-rocks. — At  Henley  Harbor  is  a 
system  of  trap-rocks  which  have  been  upheaved  in  a 
N.  N.  E.  and  S.  S.  W.  direction,  in  a  course  much  more 
northerly  than  the  direction  which  the  Straits  of  Belle 
Isle  assume.  These  rocks  consist  of  three  masses  of  co- 
lumnar basalt,  capping  the  syenitic  gneiss.     It  is  a  hard. 


% 


i!    •!!! 


ii.f: 


11,^ 


mi 


W  5' 


;• 


286 


rilK    (JKOI.OGY    OK   THli:    LABRADOR   COAST. 


fine,  compact  dolerite,  breaking  with  a  conchoidal  frac- 
ture and  metallic  ring,  and  contains  much  iron.  The 
mass  is  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  feet  high  on  Henley 
and  Castle  islands,  and  consists  of  two  layers  of  vertical 
columns.  West  of  these  basaltic  rocks,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  harbor,  is  a  large  trap  overflow  forming  a  hill 
over  three  hundred  feet  high,  and  apparently  of  the 
same  age.  It  should  be  remarked  that  the  two  la3-ersof 
basalt  representing  successive  overflows  incline  at  a  very 
slight  angle  towards  the  S.  W.  The  third  mass  of  ba- 
salt is  seen  rising  out  of  the  ocean  a  few  miles  northerly, 
nearly  in  a  line  with  the  basalt  of  Henley  Harbor. 

Dykes  of  this  age  were  likewise  seen  at  Strawberry 
Harbor,  Cape  Webuc,  and  at  Hopedale,  intersecting  the 
Laurentian  gneiss  and  syenite.  Their  age  is  plainly  an- 
terior to  the  deposition  of  the  undisturbed  Cambrian, 
"  primordial  "  strata  at  Anse-au-Loup,  and  on  the  New- 
foundland coast  opposite. 

Domino  Gneiss. — A  system  of  lifht-colored  gneiss  and 
trap  rocks  which  lie  in  a  depression  of  the  Laurentian 
rocks,  about  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  long  and 
probably  twenty-five  miles  broad,  stretching  along  the 
coast  between  Domino  Harbor  and  Cape  Webuc,  agrees 
with  the  "  Domino  Gneiss"  of  Mr.  Lieber. 

At  Domino  Harbor  in  lat.  53°  30",  these  rocks  attain 
their  greatest  development,  occurring  as  a  slightly  schis- 
tose, light-colored  gneiss,  the  base  of  which  is  a  white 
granular  vitreous  quartz,  with  speckles  of  black  horn- 
blende, with  a  few  particles  of  a  lilac-colored  mica. 
There  are  also  minute  rude  crystals  of  yellow  garnet,  or 
cinnamon  stone,  disseminated  through  the  mass.  No 
feldspar  was  detected  in  this  rock.     In  some  places  the 


ill        i 


THL    DOMINO    GNKISS. 


287 


rock  was  exceedingly  tine,  in  others  it  assumed  almost  a 
conglomeritic  aspect,  from  the  presence  of  small  masses 


of  quartz. 


Th( 


e   quart/   is  often  colored    green. 


T\ 


lis 


rock  weathers  easily,  leaving  masses  of  (juartz  projecting 
on  the  surface  ;  it  is  comparatively  soft,  and  has  been 
greatly  denuded.  It  thus  forms  at  this  locality  a  broad, 
low,  flat  plain  about  ten  miies  broad  and  fifteen  to  twenty 
miles  long,  through  which  rise  bosses  of  trap.  Its  sur- 
face is  but  a  few  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and  to 
one  just  corning  from  the  high  coast  to  the  southward 
this  broad,  naked  flat,  almost  wholly  destitute  of  vegeta- 
tion, with  no  valleys  to  shelter  even  a  growth  of  spruce 
trees,  and  but  slightly  furrowed  by  glacial  action,  with 
patches  of  white  rock  glistening  in  the  sun  from  between 
the  dull  green  morasses  and  ponds  that  are  everywhere 
scattered  over  its  surface, — presents  a  strange  and  foreign 
feature  of  the  coast  scenery,  startling  from  its  very  tame- 
ness.  When  in  contact  with  the  trap  hills  the  rock  is 
much  harder,  rising  into  higher  elevations. 

Nowhere  was  I  able  to  see  the  juncture  of  this  rock 
with  the  Lower  Laurentian  gneiss,  which  rises  from  the 
edge  of  this  formation  into  high  hills  and  mountains. 
So  smooth  had  this  plain  been  levelled  and  worn  by  gla- 
cial and  aqueous  agents,  that  it  was  difficult  to  observe 
the  dip  and  strike  of  the  beds,  which,  when  undisturbed 
by  eruptive  rocks,  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  dip  easterly 
at  a  slight  angle.  At  Dumplin  Harbor,  which  is  a  bight 
in  an  island  lying  just  S.  E.  of  Huntington  Island,  the 
gneiss,  when  lying  next  to  trap,  dips  at  an  angle  of  35° 
S.  E.,  the  strike  of  the  beds  being  northeasterly.  At 
Tub  Harbor  these  rocks  come  in  contact  with  the  Lau- 
rentian   syenite.     Between    the    lighter-colored    gneiss 


I 


u 


288 


THE   GEOLOGY    OK   THE    LAHRADOR   COAST. 


lii! 


■ :  • ' 


were  beds  of  a  dark  fine-grained  hornblendic  quartzosc 
gneiss,  capped  by  the  syenite.  At  Indian  Harbor,  about 
thirty  miles  north  of  Tub  Harbor,  and  on  the  opposite 
side  of  Hamilton  Inlet,  these  same  rocks  appear.     These 


rocks  occur  also  at  Sloop  Harbor,  rising  two  hundred 
feet  high,  and  are  capped  by  syenite,  which  is  very  pale 
in  color,  with  particles  of  black  hornblende.  Here,  as 
at  Tub   Harbor,  the  strata  at  the  point  of  contact  with 


Ired 

)ale 

;,  as 

Ivith 


TUAT    DVKKS. 


289 


the    syenite    become    a    dark   jj^neiss.     The   Escjuiniaux 
Islands,  which  lie  off  this 


ast, 


;d  of  th 


re  com  pi 
jight-coiorcci  gneiss. 

Invariably  accompanying  these  rocks  is  a  doleritic 
trap  of  a  [)eculiar  mineralogical  character,  occurring  in 
overflows  of  a  peculiar  physiognomy,  and  upheaved  in  a 
direction  at  nearly  right  angles  to  that  of  the  Laurentian 
dykes,  thus  following  the  general  northwesterly  trend  of 
the  Atlantic  coast  of  the  peninsula. 

This  rock  differs  from  the  hard  fine-grained  trap  at 
Henley  Harbor  in  being  coarsely  porphyritic.  It  is 
composed  of  large  crystalline  masses  of  hypersthene  and 
labradorite,  this  last  being  of  a  dark  smoky  color,  and 
precisely  such  as  described  as  occurring  on  Scjuare  Island. 
It  seems  to  follow  that  this  porphyritic  trap  is  the  result 
of  the  refusion  of  the  anorthosite  rock,  which  must  con- 
sequently underlie  this  Domino  quartzite.  This  is  an 
argument  for  the  unconformable  bedding  of  this  gneiss 
upon  the  Lower  Laurentian  gneiss,  while  this  trap-rock 
is  evidently  of  the  age  of  the  Domino  gneiss,  which  it 
has  somewhat  disturbed.  The  Isle  of  Ponds  is  largely 
composed  of  these  trap  hills.  Huntington  Island  is  a 
large  mass  of  trap.  Tub  Island,  as  its  name  betokens,  is 
a  peculiar,  truncated  cone  of  trap,  resembling  an  inverted 
tub.  These  trap  overflows  extend  northward  to  Cape 
North,  which  is  a  lofty  headland  of  trap  capping  the 
gneiss,  and  thus  adding  very  materially  to  the  elevation 
of  this  as  of  all  the  other  numerous  gneiss  promontories 
which  run  out  from  the  main  land.  Occasionally  an 
island  is  seen  half  black  and  half  white,  one  side  being 
composed  of  the  dark  trap-rock,  and  the  other  of  the 
light-colored  quartzite.     Such  is  "  Black  and  White,"  a 


!Mi 


III 


w 

' 

ir 

290 


THE   (lEOLOGY   OF   THE   LAHRADOR  COAST. 


very  prominent  island  near  "  Indian  Tickle,"  a  harbor  at 
the  northern  side  of  Hamilton  Inlet.  Here  are  some 
remarkable  dykes  which  ascend  the  gneiss  hills  in  huge 
irregular  zigzag  crests,  often  crossing  each  other  at  right 
angles. 

Beyond  this  point  the  older  Laurentian  gneiss  again 
appears,  and  forms  the  high  bold  shores  extending  to 
Hopedale,  rising  in  the  interior  into  lofty  imposing 
mountains  on  whose  tops  lie  patches  of  snow. 

Among  the  erratic  rocks  at  Domino  Harbor  were 
some  which  show  that  in  the  interior  are  beds  of  jasper 
and  chert.  There  occurred  several  small  bowlders  of  jas- 
per and  gneiss.  The  jasper  was  pale  green,  banded  and 
striped  by  darker  shades  of  green,  while  the  irregularly 
alternating  bands  of  syenitic  gneiss  appeared  to  be  an 
altered  quartzite,  as  it  was  found  under  a  glass  to  be 
largely  composed  of  a  fine  granular  quartz-rock,  with  a 
little  flesh-colored  and  white  feldspar,  and  minute  par- 
ticles of  hypersthene. 

Several  bowlders  of  chert  occurred  at  Tub  Island. 
This  was  a  very  tough,  compact,  silicious  rock,  lineated  by 
fine  veins  of  quartz.      It  weathers  to  a  dull  chalky  white. 

It  is  most  probable  that  these  rolled  stones  were  borne 
down  from  the  interior  by  glaciers,  but  the  chert  pebbles 
may  have  been  borne  on  iioating  ice  from  Frobisher's 
Bay,  as  Mr.  Hall  notyceb  such  rocks  as  being  abundant 
there.  At  Tub  Island  I  was  shown  specimens  of  mag- 
netic iron  ore,  which  were  brought  from  "  Cartwright's 
Tickle,"  a  few  miles  toward  the  main  land.  It  occurred 
in  veins  half  an  inch  wide.* 

*  For  further  information  regarding  the  Laurentian  rocks  of  Northern  Labra- 
dor, see  Dr.  Bell's  observations  in  Report  of  the  Canadian  Geological  Survey 
for  1,884  and  '85. 


i^  I 


11  IK    I.AliRADOR    DRIFT. 


291 


|mag- 
irred 


Labra- 
I Survey 


Qiia/irnary  Formation.  —  In  studyinjj:  the  drift  plu'- 
nomcria  of  Labrador  as  compared  with  those  of  the  tem- 
perate zone,  we  shall  at  the  outset  lind  ourselves  disap- 
pointed in  our  anticipations  as  to  their  relative  develop- 
ment. In  a  region  which  has  evidently  been  exposed  to 
the  most  intense  action  of  glaciers,  prolonged  over  a 
j)eriod  vastly  longer  than  in  Canada  or  New  luigland, 
we  have  surviving  this  period  of  denudation  and  wasting 
away  of  the  surface  but  few  drift  scratches  remaining 
on  any  exposed  surfaces  below  a  height  of  five  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea,  and  superficial  deposits  which  are  re- 
duced almost  to  a  minimum  as  compared  with  those  of 
the  temperate  zone. 

In  this  absence  of  drift  and  more  recent  deposits,  the 
Labrador  plateau  agrees  exactly  with  all  mountainous 
districts  above  the  level  of  most  deciduous  trees.  We 
are  to  look  to  the  lowlands  about  their  base  for  the 
ddbris  and  drift  borne  down  by  streams  or  glaciers  from 
the  mountain  centres.  The  Labrador  plateau  has  been 
greatly  denuded.  Its  highest  mountains  have  been  trun- 
cated and  their  peaks  sliced  off  by  the  denuding  agent 
as  if  by  a  knife.  The  Domino  gneiss  has  lost  at  least 
three  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  of  its  comparatively 
soft  strata,  as  evidenced  by  the  lofty  trap  hills  which  now 
rise  above  the  strata  of  altered  sandstones.  The  trap  is 
as  firm  and  hard  at  the  top  of  the  overflows  as  at  the 
base.  The  loose  material  resulting  from  this  long.con- 
tinued  denudation  is  not  now  found  in  the  interior  or  on 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  except  in  very  small  quantities. 
It  was  evidently  conveyed  southwards  by  icebergs  and 
floe-  or  shore-ice,  and  forms  the  bottom  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence Gulf,  and  the  banks  and  shoals  southward.     In 


i  ;  I 


■i.i. 


292 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


^ 


most  subarctic  and  all  arctic  lands  the  soil  is  but  a  few 
inches  deep. 

In  all  temperate  regions  the  superficial  deposits  have 
been  characterized  by  Prof.  Desor*  to  be  "  a  succession 
of  rocky  hills  and  drift  plateaus  or  valleys,  which  can  be 
traced  to  the  highest  elevation  of  the  country,  near  the 
dividing  ridge,  each  following  plateau  or  valley  being 
commonly  at  a  higher  level  than  the  preceding."  This 
state  of  things  obtains  in  Labrador,  but  there  is  an  im- 
mense disproportion  between  the  rocky  hills  and  the 
drift  deposits.  We  find  no  sandy  plains  or  level  tracts 
of  glacial  drift,  or  marine  clays,  distributed  at  intervals 
from  the  coast  to  the  interior.  They  take  the  form  of 
occasional,  isolated  sand-banks  and  cliffs  of  clay,  of  slight 
extent,  overhanging  rivers,  and  which  by  their  secluded 
and  retired  positions  have  escaped  the  general  denuda- 
tion by  the  Labrador  current  which  must  have  passed 
over  the  lower  levels  of  the  peninsula  subsequent  to  the 
glacial  epoch.  In  travelling  in  the  interior  we  find  our- 
selves walking,  when  it  is  possible  to  walk  or  climb  at 
all,  over  the  rocky  floor  of  this  inhospitable  region, 
smoothed  in  spots,  though  rarely  striated  by  glaciers, 
but  on  the  coast  more  generally  mangled  and  torn  by 
the  action  of  shore-ice  and  frosts,  which  have  here  shown 
a  vast  power. 

The  Leda  clays  are  mostly  confined  to  the  head  of  re- 
tired bays,  or  if  in  more  exposed  situations,  lie  between 
bold  headlands.  The  vast  sand  barrens  of  Canada  and 
New  England  spreading  into  broad  plains,  are  here  rep- 
resented by  precipitous  masses  of  sand  hanging  upon  the 

*  Foster  and  Whitney's  Report  on  the  Geology  of  Lake  Superior, 


ff-'i 


iS'  ll 


I  of  re- 
Lween 
la  and 
|e  rep- 
m  the 


GLACIAL   MARKS. 


293 


Steep  mountain  slopes.  The  traveller  stumhles  upon 
them  in  ascending  the  swift  impetuous  streams. 

The  most  abundant  superficial  deposits  in  Labrador 
are  the  ancient  sea-beaches,  which  are  found,  according 
to  Prof.  H.  Y.  Hind,  at  all  levels  to  a  height  of  twelve 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  at  a  distance  in  the  interior 
of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  from  the  coast. 
They  are  evidently  altered  glacial  moraines. 

Glacial  Epoch.  Drift  Stricc  and  Roiuidcd  Rocks. — 
The  Labrador  plateau  has  been,  at  least  near  the  Atlan- 
tic, moulded  by  ice  to  a  height  at  least  of  twenty-five 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  In  Southern 
Labrador  Dr.  Bell  states  that  the  valleys  and  hills,  "  up 
to  the  tieight  of  sixteen  hundred  feet,  at  any  rate,  have 
been  planed  by  glacial  action."  (Rep.  for  1884,  2^1  D.D.) 
The  gneiss  mountains  are  moulded  into  large  flat  cones, 
often  with  a  nipple-shaped  summit  ;  the  syenites  are 
either  moulded  into  domes  or  into  high  conical  sugar- 
loaves  ;  the  anorthosite  syenite  at  Square  Island  occurs 
in  high  rude  cones  ;  and  the  trap  overflows  accompanying 
the  Domino  gneiss  form  rough  irregular  bosses.  Only 
at  one  point,  near  the  northern  termination  of  the  penin- 
sula at  Cape  Chidley,  have  the  mountains  by  their  alti- 
tude escaped  the  rounding  and  remodelling  action  of 
glaciers.  These  scraggy  peaks,  covered  with  loose  square 
blocks  detached  by  frosts  from  their  slopes,  remind  us 
of  the  summits  of  Mount  Washington  in  New  Hamp- 
shire and  Mount  Katahdin  in  Maine.  In  a  sketch  of 
the  former  mountains  by  Mr.  Lieber,  as  given  in  the 
"  Report  of  the  Coast  Survey,"  the  transition  from  the 
remodelled  low  mountains  of  the  coast  to  the  "  wild 
volcanic-looking  mountains"  of  the  interior  height  of  land 


■III 


K  HHH 


294 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


m 


m 


;u. 


I 


is  very  marked.  Mount  Bache,  which  was  determined 
by  the  expedition  to  be  two  thousand  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  high,  was  "  one  of  the  smallest  mountains." 
The  larger  ones  are  inaccessible.  Those  who  have  been 
upon  the  summits  of  Mount  Washington  or  Katahdin 
will  recognize  how  well  Mr.  Lieber's  description  of  the 
summit  of  Mount  Bache  agrees  with  the  physiognomy 
of  the  New  England  alpine  summits : 

"  A  second  cause  of  the  irregularity  of  surface  here  is 
to  be  found  in  the  tremendous  power  of  the  frost  of  a 
Labrador  winter,  the  influence  of  the  heavy  covering  of 
snow,  and  very  probably  also  the  former  existence  of 
glaciers,  all  of  which  we  shall  presently  take  occasion  to 
discuss. 

"  The  effects  of  frost  are  manifested  in  a  singularly 
forcible  manner.  The  entire  surface,  where  it  is  not  too 
steep  to  enable  debris  to  collect,  is  covered  with  broken 
masses  of  rock,  cubes  of  ten  feet  and  less  scattered  in 
wildest  profusion.  Sometimes  a  patch  of  moss,  the  grass 
and  heather  of  this  country,  fills  up  the  crevices,  but  gen- 
erally we  may  look  down  into  them  far  and  deep  with- 
out ever  detecting  the  base  upon  which  the  rocks  rest, 
hurled  aloft,  as  they  appear,-  by  the  hands  of  Titans.  In 
scaling,  in  company  with  Mr.  Venable,  the  summit  of 
Mount  Bache,  on  an  occasion  intended  mainly  for  taking 
its  altitude  barometrically,  we  enjoyed  the  finest  oppor- 
tunities for  studying  this  phenomenon.  The  summit  and 
sides  of  the  mountain  present  few  steep  precipices.  I 
speak  comparatively  only,  and  in  reference  exclusively  to 
Northern  Labrador.  Yet,  scattered  helter-skelter  over  all, 
and  piled  up  in  endless  number,  the  whole  surface  is  cov- 
ered with  such  loose  rocks.    The  diflficulties  of  locomotion 


si'  : 


iiili,:L 


|por- 
and 
I 
lyto 

Irall 
Icov- 
ition 


A    MINIATURE   GLACIER. 


295 


may  readily  be  conceived.  In  scarcely  a  single  instance 
did  we  see  the  gneiss  beds  still  in  situ,  and  in  only  one 
or  two  exceptions  some  giant  wedge  seemed  to  have 
driven  them  asunder.  Yet  none  of  the  blocks  were 
rounded.  Attrition  of  no  kind  had  influenced  them  to 
any  perceptible  extent,  neither  had  atmospheric  influ- 
ences altered  the  color,  hardness,  and  composition  of  their 
exteriors ;  it  was  simply  a  wilderness  of  unchanged 
blocks  of  the  gray  gneiss. 

"  There  was  a  puzzle.  Whence  came  these  broken 
rocks?  There  was  no  higher  spot  whence  they  might 
have  fallen.  The  slight  protrusion  of  the  uptilted  beds 
of  gneiss  in  sitn,  to  which  I  have  referred,  alone  seems 
to  have  been  permitted  to  remain  for  the  purpose  of 
instructing  us.  Clearly,  that  force  which  had  riven  its 
beds  asun.der,  no  other  than  the  frost,  had  broken  the 
rest  from  their  foothold  and  prepared  them  for  removal 
by  another  coming  into  play  at  a  later  season — the  thaw- 
ing down-gliding  snoiv.  Many  of  the  blocks  were  prob- 
ably but  slightly  removed  from  their  original  position, 
perhaps  barely  turned  over  or  merely  forced  a  little  out 
of  place.  Yet  the  effect  to  the  eye  of  the  beholder 
would  be  as  great  as  if  they  had  been  transported  hun- 
dreds of  miles. 

"  When  we  descended  from  the  mountain  we  crossed 
over  a  broad  patch  of  snow,  deeply  packed  (twenty  feet 
deep),  which  clearly  taught  us  how  the  blocks  were 
moved.  In  truth,  this  was  a  miniature  glacier,  and  a 
regular  moraine  was  piled  up  along  its  edges.  It  is  im-' 
possible  for  us  to  form  any  estimate  of  the  amount  of 
snow  which  may  fall  per  square  foot  in  a  winter,  but 
from  the  fact  that  such  quantities  were  still  remaining 


V    tl 


1 


Hi 


I 


296 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


'i    >. 


':U''.]. 


3  i     ji  ! 


i'^l 


late  in  July,  and  certainly  they  never  altogether  thaw 
away,  we  may  reasonably  infer  that  during  its  downward 
progress,  either  as  snow  or  water,  a  tremendous  force 
must  be  exerted,  a  force  quite  sufficient  to  account  for 
the  characteristic  surface  phenomenon  just  described." 

Contrary  to  the  statement  of  Sir  John  Richardson 
in  his  "  Polar  Regions,"  both  the  accounts  of  Parry  and 
the  earlier  arctic  voyagers,  and  especially  C.  F.  Hall  in 
his  "  Arctic  Researches,"  prove  that  on  the  northern 
edge  of  the  American  continent,  and  as  low  down  as  lat. 
62°,  and  upon  land  rising  between  one  thousand  and  two 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  there  are  mers 
dc  glace  of  great  extent,  discharging  glaciers  into  the  sea 
which  present  ice-fronts  one  hundred  feet  high. 

Parry,  in  his  second  voyage  (p.  12),  states  that  on 
the  north  side  of  Hudson's  Strait,  after  passing  by  Res- 
olution Island,  there  "is  a  smooth  part  of  the  land 
rather  higher  than  that  in  its  neighborhood,  and  for  an 
extent  of  one  or  two  miles  completely  covered  with 
snow.  The  snow  remains  upon  it,  as  Mr.  Davidson  in- 
formed us,  the  whole  summer,  as  they  find  the  land  pre- 
senting the  same  appearance  on  their  return  through  the 
Strait  in  the  summer.  This  circumstance,  which  has 
obtained  for  it  the  name  of  'Terra  Nivea'  upon  the 
charts,  I  do  not  know  how  to  account  for,  as  the  height 
of  the  land  above  the  level  of  the  sea  cannot  certainly 
exceed  a  thousand  feet." 

Mr.  C.  F.  Hall,  during  his  residence  in  Frobisher's 
Bay,  had  excellent  opportunities  of  observing  during  all 
seasons  of  the  year  both  ends  of  the  Kingaite  range  of 
mountains  on  '  Meta  Incognita'  which  support  this  mer 
de  glace,  which  he  named  the  Gnnnell  Glacier,  and  which 


[ainly 


Isher's 
i\cr  all 
ksfe  of 
mer 
Lvhich 


GLACIERS   NORTH   OF   LABRADOR. 


297 


on  the  coast  annually  discharges  icebergs  from  its  streams. 
He  describes  it  as  being  two  miles  long,  starting  from  a 
sea  of  ice  which  extended  many  miles  N.W.  and  S.E., 
reaching  across  the  peninsula  of  Meta  Incognita,  nearly 
to  the  strait  which  divides  Frobisher's  Bay  from  Hud- 
son's Strait.  Mr.  Hall  states  that  "  from  the  informa- 
tion I  had  previously  gained,  and  the  data  furnished  me 
by  my  Innuit  companion,  I  estimated  the  Grinnell 
Glacier  to  be  fully  one  hundred  miles  long.  At  various 
points  on  the  north  side  of  Frobisher's  Bay  between  Bear 
Sound  and  the  Countess  of  Warwick's  Sound,  I  made 
observations  by  sextant  by  which  I  determined  that  over 
fifty  miles  of  the  glacier  was  in  view  from,  and  southeast 
of,  the  President's  Seat.  A  few  miles  above  that  point 
the  glacier  recedes  from  the  coast  and  is  lost  to  view  by 
the  Everett  chain  of  mountains ;  and  as  .  arkey  [an 
Esquimau]  said,  the  oii-u-e-too  (ice  that  never  melts), 
extends  on  ives-se-too-ad-loo  (far,  very  far  off).  He  added 
that  there  were  places  along  the  coast  below  what  I 
called  the  President's  Seat,  where  this  great  glacier  dis- 
charges itself  into  the  sea,  some  of  it  in  large  icebergs. 

"  From  the  sea  of  ice  down  to  the  point  where  the 
abutting  glacier  was  quite  uniform  in  its  rounding  up,  it 
presented  the  appearance,  though  in  a  frozen  state,  of  a 
mighty  rushing  torrent.  The  height  of  the  discharging 
face  of  the  glacier  was  one  hundred  feet  above  the  sea." 

Given,  as  stated  below,  the  rise  of  the  Labrador  penin- 
sula only  five  hundred  feet  above  its  present  level,  and 
we  must  have  had  during  the  glacial  period  most  exten- 
sive glaciers  fed  by  broad  seas  of  ice  resting  on  the  table- 
lands, reaching  above  the  line  of  perpetual  snow ;  as  only 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  northward  of  Cape  Chidley 


i!l 


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! 


I- 


I  :  ' 


hi 


298 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


ii'^''!-; 


'■i   li   t 


we  find  the  snow-line  reaching  as  far  down  as  one  thou- 
sand feet,  or  thereabouts,  above  the  sea-level.  We  are 
inclined  to  doubt  the  accuracy  of  Parry's  estimate  of  the 
height  of  these  table-lands,  as  the  height  of  Mount  Bache 
is  over  two  thousand  feet,  and  it  just  reaches  the  lowest 
limit  of  the  snow-line,  which  in  Greenland  is  two  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea. 

Owing  to  the  extensive  weathering  of  the  rock,  glacial 
grooves  and  scratches  occur  very  rarely.*  I  doubt  not 
they  will  be  found  abundantly  after  ascending  five  hun- 
dred to  o!gh.  .undred  feet  from  the  sea-level,  for  below 
this  point  the  action  of  the  waves  and  shore-ice  has 
obliterated  '^^th  <"i£e  and  loose  drift.  We  have  good 
evidence  that  an  enormous  glacier  once  filled  the  great 
fiord,  Hamilton  Inlet,  which  at  its  mouth  is  forty  miles 
broad.  Peculiar  lunoid  fiwrows  were  observed  on  the 
northern  and  southern  shores  about  forty  miles  apart, 
which  would  seem  to  justify  the  conclusion,  that  the 
glacier  was  of  that  breadth  where  it  descended  into  the 
sea.     The  best  examples  of  these    lunoid    furrows  oc- 


1    ^'% 


*  J.  F.  Campbell,  who  visited  this  coast  in  1864,  states  in  his  work  entitled 
"  Frost  and  Fire,"  that  at  Indian  Island,  lat.  53°  30'  "the  striae  pointed  into 
Davis's  Strait  at  a  height  of  four  hundred  feet  above  the  sea;  at  Red  Bay,  in  the 
Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  they  aimed  N.  45°  E.' at  the  sea-level." 

At  Newfoundland,  about  St.  John's,  "  the  striae  which  were  found  were  near 
the  coast,  and  seem  to  indicate  large  land-glaciers  moving  seawards.  At  St. 
vjohn's  the  marks  run  over  the  Signal  Hill,  five  hundred  and  forty  feet  high,  from 
W.  and  N.  85"  W.  eastwards;  at  Harbor  Grace,  from  S.  75°  W.  down  the  bay 
northeastwards;  at  the  head  of  Conception  Bay  they  fill  a  large  hollow,  over- 
run hills,  and  point  from  S.  15°  W.  northwards.  Vast  terraces  of  drift  stretch 
along  the  base  of  rounded  hills  at  the  head  of  Conception  Bay,  at  Harbor  Grace, 
and  at  Old  Purlican,  near  the  end  cf  the  bay,  sixty  miles  off.  At  the  head  of 
the  bay  most  of  this  drift  seems  to  have  come  from  the  hills.  Opposite  to 
granite  hills  are  numerous  blocks  of  granite;  opposite  to  sandstone  and  slate 
hills,  sandstone  and  slate  bowlders  abound." — "  Frost  and  Fire,"  ii.  1865,  p.  240. 


illl 


I 


*i'  : 


GLACIAL  LUNOin   FURROWS. 


299 


curred  at  Indian  Harl)or  on  tlie  northern  shore  of  tlam- 
ilton  Inlet,  near  the  fishin<r  estahlislinient  of  Mr.  Nor- 
man. This  harbor  is  a  narrow  "tickle"  or  passage,  where 
the  Domino  quartzites,  very  smoothly  worn  and  pol- 
ished, are  capped  by  trap  overflows,  and  run  under  the 
water  to  the  depth  of  thirty  feet,  forming  a  polished  and 
smooth  bottom  to  the  harbor.  The  marks  occur  about 
twenty-five  feet  above  the  water's  edge,  and  below  the 
line  of  lichens  which  are  kept  at  a  distance  by  the  sea 
spray. 

These  crescent-shaped  depressions,  which  run  trans- 
versely to  the  course  of  the  bay,  were  from  five  to  four- 
teen inches  broad  by  three  to  nine  inches  long,  and 
about  an  inch  deep  vertically  in  the  rock.  Their  inner 
or  concave  edge  pointed  southwest,  the  bay  running  in 
a  general  S.W.  and  N.E.  direction.     They  were  scattered 


GLACIAL   LUNOID   FURROWS   AT    INDIAN    TICKI.K,    I.AHRADOR. 

irregularly  over  a  surface  twenty  feet  square.  When 
several  followed  in  a  line,  two  large  ones  were  often 
succeeded  by  a  couple  one  quarter  as  large,  or  vice  versa. 
Also  at  Tub  Harbor,  on  the  southern  coast  of  this  bay, 
similar  markings,  but  less  distinct,  occurred  about  the 
same  distance  above  the  sea,  and  on  a  similar  polished 
quartzite.  These  agiee  precisely  with  the'Munoid  fur- 
rows" of  Mr.  DeLaski,  as  observed  by  him  in  great 
abundance   on    Isle-au-Haut,   in    Penobscot    Bay,   speci- 


ill: 


t  lii ' 


I  ,■' 


^^ 


m  .'i  ■ 


n 


300 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


r: 


mens  of  which  he  has  deposited  in  the   Museum  of  the 
Portland  Society  of  Natural  History. 

These  were  the  only  glacial  markings  I  observed.  It 
should  be  noted  that  Mr.  Jukes,  in  his  "Geology  of 
Newfoundland,"  states  that  he  never  observed  any  glacial 
striae  during  his  explorations  on  that  island.  They 
were  observed  in  abundance  by  Professor  Hind  about 
fifty  miles  froiri  the  mouth  of  the  river  Moisie,  where 
occurred  "gneiss  terraces  five  in  number,  the  highest 
being  about  one  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  and  backed 
by  a  stunted  birch-  and  spruce-clad  mountain  some  eight 
hundred  feet  higher  still.  The  sloping  sides  of  these 
abrupt  steps  are  rounded,  polished,  and  furrowed  by 
glacial  action.  Cuts  half  an  inch  deep  and  an  inch  or 
more  broad  go  down  slope  and  over  level  continuously. 
Rounded  und  water-worn  bowlders  are  perched  here  and 
there  on  the  edge  of  the  uppermost  terrace.  These 
strange  memorials  of  the  drift  begin  to  be  more  com- 
mon" (p.  133). 

Fine  examples  of  rounded  and  embossed  rocks  oc- 
curred at  a  bay  situated  a  few  miles  to  the  westward  of 
Little  Mecatina  Island.  Here  the  numerous  islets  of 
syenites  assume  a  low  dome-like  shape,  whose  shores 
descend  to  the  water's  edge  by  a  gentle  slope,  and  are  so 
smooth  and  polished  that  one  can  with  difficulty  descend 
them  when  wet  without  slipping. 

On  the  southern  coast  the  eminences  all  present  their 
longer  slopes  to  the  northward,  and  their  lee  sides  de- 
scend seaward  and  southward  in  sudden  falls  and  slopes. 
On  the  contrary,  on  the  eastern  and  Atlantic  shores 
the  s^oss  or  struck  sides  look  westward,  and  the  lee  side 
is  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  hills,  thus  showing  that  the 


GLACIATION   OF   HUDSON'S  STRAIT. 


301 


denuding  and  abrading  agent  moved  downwards  from 
the  top  of  the  water-shed — that  is,  always  nearly  parallel 
to  the  coast. 

The  adjoining  illustration  brings  out  clearly  some  of 
the  characteristic  features  of  the  scenery  of  the  coast  of 
Labrador.  In  the  foreground  the  rocky  shore  of  the 
Horsechops,  as  the  deep  fiord  is  called,  which  is  situated 
far  up  on  the  eastern  coast  of  Labrador,  has  been  ground 
down,  smoothed,  and  polished  by  the  great  mass  of  land- 
ice  which  formerly  filled  Hamilton  Bay  and  moved  slowly 
down  from  the  table-land  in  the  interior,  and  whose  ice- 
front  must  have  presented  to  the  sea  a  wall — perhaps 
five  hundred  to  one  thousand  feet  high. 

Across  the  fiord  on  the  shores  of  the  bay,  which  rise 
abruptly  in  great  rocky  terraces — also  a  characteristic 
feature  of  Labrador  and  arctic  landscapes, — may  be  seen 
scattered  snow-banks,  which  linger  on  these  shores  as 
late  as  August,  while  those  in  the  more  shaded,  protected 
places  may  live  on  until  the  early  snows  in  September 
give  them  a  renewal  of  life,  so  that  their  existence  may 
become  perennial. 

About  Cape  Chidleythe  hills  and  rocks  are  shown  by 
Mr.  Lieber's  drawings  to  have  been  rounded  and  moulded 
by  ice  to  a  height  corresponding  to  that  of  Mount  Bache, 
as  noticed  above. 

Dr.  R.  Bell  shows  that  the  basin  of  Hudson's  Bay 
may  have  formed  a  glacial  reservoir  receiving  streams  of 
ice  from  the  east,  north  and  northwest,  and  south  and 
southwest.  The  direction  of  the  glaciation  on  both  sides 
of  Hudson's  Strait  was  eastward.  "That  an  extensive 
glacier  passed  down  the  strait  may  be  inferred  from  the 
smoothed  and  striated  character  of  the  rocks  of  the  lower 


:  m 


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m'i 


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DISTRIBUTION   OF   UOWLDKKS. 


3OJ 


C 


levels,  the  outline  of  the  glaciated  surfaecs  pointing  to 
an  eastward  movement,  tlie  eomposition  of  the  drift,  and 
also  from  the  faet  that  the  long  depression  of  Fox's 
Channel  and  the  Strait  runs  from  the  northwestward 
towards  the  southeast,  and  that  this  great  ehannel  or  sub- 
merged valley  deepens  as  it  goes,  terminating  in  the 
Atlantic  Ocean.  Glaciers  arc  said  to  exist  on  the  shores 
of  Fox's  Channel,  and  they  may  send  down  the  Hat-top- 
ped icebergs  which  float  eastward  through  the  lower  part 
of  Hudson's  Strait  into  the  Atlantic.  During  the  drift 
period  the  glacier  of  the  bed  of  Hudson's  Strait  was 
probably  joined  by  a  contribution  from  the  ice  whicb 
appears  to  have  occupied  the  site  of  Hudson's  Bay,  and 
by  another,  also  from  the  southward,  coming  down  the 
valley  of  the  Koksok  River,  and  its  continuation  in  the 
bottom  of  Ungava  Bay.  The  united  glacier  still  moved 
eastward  round  Cape  Chudleigh  into  the  Atlantic." 

Distribution  of  Bowlders. — The  whole  surface  of  the 
country  is  strewn  thickly  with  bowlders.  After  ascending 
five  or  six  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and 
penetrating  into  the  interior,  their  presence  is  especially 
marked.  Near  the  shore  they  are  rarely  seen,  being 
covered  by  vegetation.  We  must  look  for  them  about 
the  edges  of  ponds  and  along  the  banks  of  the  rivers, 
and  especially  in  raised  beaches.  I  am  also  inclined  to 
think  that  their  abundance  near  the  coast  ^  <jjreatly  less- 
ened by  their  having  been  carried  off  by  shore-ice  into 
the  sea,  and  there  rearranged  into  submarine  beaches. 

No  loose,  single  bowlders  scattered  over  the  surface 
of  the  country  were  seen  on  the  coast  from  Mecatina  to 
Square  Island.  They  only  occurred  as  stated  above, 
along  the  courses  of  rivers,  by  ponds,  and  rearranged 


I'i' 


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304 


Till'    GEOLOGY   OF  THE   LABRADOR  COAST. 


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into  l)cachc.s.  But  we  first  saw  them  on  a  hill,  estimated 
roughly  to  he  one  thousand  feet  high,  a  few  miles  north 
of  Cape  St.  Michael,  at  Scjuare  Island,  where  they  lend 
a  new  feature  to  the  landscape.  At  this  level  they  were 
strewn  sparsely  upon  the  tops  of  the  surrounding  b'"^ 
One  was  about  fifteen  by  forty  feet  in  size.  A  large  p.u- 
portion  were  well  rounded,  while  others  were  angular. 
The  greater  proportion  were  of  syenite,  a  few  small  ones 
were  of  greenstone. 

Northward  of  this  locality  I  did  not  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  ascending  the  mountains  above  the  level  of  the 
ancient  coast-line. 

Professor  Hind  likewise  found  very  few  bowlde?  •  at  a 
distance  from  the  bed  of  the  Moisie,  for  a  dista'ice  of 
fifty  miles  from  its  mouth.  But  on  ascending  th  water- 
shed, and  penetrating  farther  inland,  they  eve.yw' 
grew  more  numerous.  A  few  miles  beyond  "  Bu.  .. 
Portage"  on  this  river,  "huge  blocks  of  gi  .iss,  twenty 
feet  in  diameter,  lay  in  the  channel  or  on  the  rocks 
which  here  and  there  pierced  the  sandy  t  ,ct  through 
which  the  river  flowed ;  while  on  the  summits  c'  moun- 
tains and  along  the  crests  of  hill  ranges  they  seemcJ  ?s 
if  they  had  been  dropped  like  hail.  It  was  not  difficult 
to  see  that  many  of  these  rock  fragments  were  of  local 
origin,  but  others  had  travelled  far.  From  an  eminence 
I  could  discover  that  they  were  piled  to  a  great  height 
between  hills  three  and  four  hundred  feet  high,  and  from 
the  comparatively  sharp  edges  of  many,  the  parent  rock 
could  not  have  been  far  distant."  * 

Also  at  Caribou  Lake,  an  expansion  of  the  same  river, 


*  The  Labrador  Peninsula,  p.  227.     Also,  Quart.  Joitrn.  Geol.  Soc,  Jan.  20, 
1864,  p.  122,  On  Supposed  Glacial  Drift  in  the  Labrador  Peninsula,  etc. 


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he  states,  "the  long'  line  of  enormous  erratics  skirting 
the  river  looked  like  druid's  :^iouumental  stones  ;  for  in 
many  instances  they  were  disposed  in  such  a  manner  as 
would  almost  lead  one  to  suppose  they  had  been  placed 
there  by  artificial  means"  (p.  229). 

Of  this  same  expedition  Mr.  Cayley  has  published  an 
account  in  the  "  Quebec  Transactions,"  where  we  have 
the  statement  of  this  observer  that  bowlders  are  very 
thickly  strewn  over  the  surface  and  on  the  summits  of 
mountains  2,214  ^^^t  high,  and  situated  one  hundred  and 
ten  miles  from  the  coast,  being  near  the  head-waters  of 
the  Moisie.  "  Immense  numbers  of  bowlders  had  for  the 
last  few  miles  strewn  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  in  some 
cases  almost  seeming  to  mak(  up  the  very  mountains 
themselves  ;  there  being  this  difference,  that  whereas  the 
rock  itself  in  situ  is  granitic,  the  bowlders  in  every  case 
are  of  gneiss."  * 

Nowhere  did  I  see  on  the  coast  of  Labrador  any  de- 
posits of  the  original  glacial  clay,  or  "  unmodified  drift." 
Upon  the  sea-shore  it  has  been  remodelled  into  a  strati- 
fied clay,  and  the  bowlders  it  once  contained  now  form 
terraced  beaches.  Professor  Hind,  however,  notices  the 
occurrence  of  "drift  clay,  capped  by  sand,"  in  precipitous 
banks  rising  seventy  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Moisie 
River,  twenty  miles  from  its  mouth. 

Before  giving  an  account  of  the  marine  clays  and  their 
fossils,  which  should  naturally  come  in  at  this  place,  I 
would  draw  attention  to  the  numerous  raised  beaches 
that  line  this  coast. 

Raised  Beaches. — Some  of  the  finest  examples  of 
raised  beaches  and  rock-shelves  representing  ancient  coast- 

*  Up  the  River  Moisie,  loc.  cit.,  N.  S.,  vol.  i.  p.  88. 


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306 


THE   GEOLOGY   OF   THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


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lines,  about  four  hundred  feet  above  the  present  coast- 
line, are  seen  in  the  lowest  Silurian  rocks  on  both  sides 
of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle.  The  following  notes  and 
sketches  were  made  while  coasting  along  the  northern 
shore,  which  rises  in  high  sandstone  and  gritty  bluffs, 
contrasting  in  their  regular  water-worn  outlines  most 
strongly  with  the  peculiar  swelling  curves  of  the  Lauren- 
tian  gneiss  which  rise  near  Bradore — according  to  Bay- 


TERRACES    AT    ANSE-AU-LOUP,    {A)    {B)    AND    (C)    LOOKING    EASTWARD    AT    THE 
NORTHEAST   END    OF   THE   CAMBRIAN    FORMATION. 

field's  measurements,  one  thousand  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  sea — or  the  jagged,  rough,  and  hummocky 
outlines  of  the  rude  syenitic  hills,  which  rise  four  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  sea.  At  Anse-au-Loup,  as  seen 
from  one  half  to  one, mile  from  the  shore,  the  land  rises 
on  the  west  side  of  the  bay  in  three  very  regular  terraces 
i^A),  the  lower  of  which  is  covered  with  debris.  On  the 
east  side  the  land  is  much  more  irregular,  descending  in 
buttressed  steeps  like  the  Palisades  on  the  Hudson, 
though  far  exceeding  them  in  height.     On  the  east  point 


feet 
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RAISED    BEACHES. 


307 


are  five  terraces  on  the  N.  VV.  side  with  heavy  buttresses, 
and  beyond  four  terraces  come  in  sight  (^).  The  strata 
here  are  nearly  horizontal,  dipping  under  the  Strait  at 
a  very  slight  angle.  At  the  eastward  termination  of  the 
formation  are  again  seen  five  very  regular  terraces  (C)' 
running  out  in  a  long  low  point,  beyond  which  rise  the 
syenite  hills.  At  Blanc  Sablon  five  terraces  are  very 
distinctly  marked,  the  second  of  which  is  the  highest ;  and 
there  is  a  beach  of  huge  bowlders  very  regularly  packed 
by  the  action  of  the  waves,  as  observed  by  Admiral  Bay- 
field. 

In  Chateau  Bay  and  Henley  Harbor  are  some  fine  ex- 
amples of  ancient  sea-margins.  They  occur  in  recesses 
in  the  shore  which  have  been  sheltered  from  the  denud- 
ing agency  of  the  waves  and  strong  arctic  currents, 
which  have  swept  around  this  bend  in  the  coast  with 
great  power.  The  most  plainly  marked  example  forms 
the  eastern  shore  of  Henley  Harbor,  being  the  western 
short  of  Henley  Island.  This  beach,  which  is  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet  high  above  the  water-level,  is  com- 
posed of  three  well-m.arked  terraces,  which  become 
steeper  as  we  go  from  the  bottom  to  the  top.  The 
upper  terrace  begins  at  the  base  of  the  basaltic  columns 
capping  this  island,  and  is  covered  at  its  upper  edge  with 
the  debris  from  this  mass  of  trap.  The  two  lower  ter- 
races at  the  northern  end  of  the  island  present  a  delta- 
like expansion  facing  the  northwest.  On  these  terraces, 
which  are  destitute  of  the  usual  covering  of  moss  and 
Empetrum,  can  be  most  distinctly  seen  the  windrows  of 
pebbles  and  gravel  thrown  up  by  the  retreating  waves. 
A  continuation  of  this  beach  is  seen  on  Castle  Island 
just  south.     (See  p.  134.) 


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308 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


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On  the  eastern  side  of  the  same  island  is  a  beach  of 
the  same  height,  but  much  steeper,  as  it  directly  faces 
the  ocean,  and  more  irregular  than  the  one  just  described, 
as  its  surface  is  broken  by  jagged  masses  of  syenitic  rock 
which  protrude  through  it,  and  by  large  masses  of  trap 
which  have  fallen  from  the  cliffs  above. 

North  of  Henley  Island  is  a  broad  flat  beach  consist- 
ing of  two  low  terraces,  on  the  uppermost  of  which,  and 
commanding  the  harbor,  are  the  ruins  .  an  old  fort 
built  during  the  last  century.  Also  on  the  mainland 
near  the  head  of  the  bay  are  situated  in  bights  in  the 
shore  three  low  beaches,  each  composed  of  two  terraces 
overgrown  with  vegetation.  They  are  all  apparently  of 
the  same  height,  and  correspond  in  height  with  that  of 
the  second  beach  or  terrace  on  Henley  Island.  On  the 
€ast  side  of  Pitt's  Arm  is  another  similar  beach,  and  still 
another  at  the  head  of  the  bay  on  the  west  side  of  the 
stream  emptying  into  this  bay.  Upon  this  latter  beach 
are  large  bowlders,  often  two  feet  in  diameter.  Across 
the  bay  from  Henley  Island  is  a  lofty  steep  beach  slop- 
ing towards  the  east,  and  of  the  same  height. 

It  is  an  important  fact  that  the  present  contour  of  the 
coast,  from  the  sea-level  to  a  height  of  about  five  hun- 
dred feet,  also  extends  to  at  least  fifty  fathoms,  or  three 
hundred  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  water.  Such  we 
found  to  be  the  fact  in  dredging  for  a  distance  of  nearly 
six  hundred  miles  along  the  coast.  The  jagged  nature 
of  the  rocky  terraces  at  Strawberry  Harbor,  so  interest- 
ing a  feature  in  the  coast  scenery,  extends  at  least  to  a 
depth  of  two  hundred  and  forty  feet,  a  few  rods  from  the 
shore,  as  in  anchoring  with  the  kedge  anchor  it  would 
drop  on  to  a  rocky  shelf,  and  then  drag  and  fall  twenty 


RAISED   BEACHES. 


309 


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fathoms  lower  on  to  another  syenitic  shelf ;  such  a  suc- 
cession of  rocky  terraces  we  have  no  doubt  extended 
much  farther  below  the  point  sounded  by  our  ship's 
lead. 

Again,  dredging  was  carried  on  off  Henley  Harbor  on 
a  pebbly  bottom  three  hundred  feet  below  the  surface 
which  formed  the  continuation  of  the  same  beaches 
which  rose  some  two  hundred  feet  above  the  sea-level. 
It  follows  from  this  that  as  both  the  jagged  rocks  and 
submerged  beach  must  have  formerly  formed  a  coast-line, 
the  land  once  stood  at  least  three  hundred  feet  higher 
than  at  present,  and  it  is  more  than  probable,  much 
higher.  Such  an  elevation  would  have  produced  the 
most  important  modifications  of  climate,  lowering  it 
greatly,  bringing  the  snow  line  farther  down  towards  the 
coast,  and  must  have  led  to  a  great  accumulation  of  the 
snow  and  land-ice. 

At  the  settlement  in  Chateau  Bay  is  a  remarkably 
steep  beach,  which  ascends  half-way  up  the  side  of  the 
hill,  which  is  about  five  hundred  feet  high.  It  is  com- 
posed of  large  bowlders  very  closely  packed  in  layers, 
without  any  gravel  to  fill  up  the  interstices,  and  slopes 
to  the  level  of  the  water  at  an  angle  of  at  least  40°,  being 
the  steepest  beach  I  saw  on  the  coast.  It  consisted  of 
two  terraces,  the  lowest  almost  precipitous  in  its  descent. 
This  beach,  when  below  the  level  of  the  sea,  was  evi- 
dently exposed  to  the  action  of  the  powerful  Labrador 
current  which  piled  these  huge  water-worn  rocks  into  a 
compact  mass  which  served  to  resist  the  waves,  while  the 
coarse  gravel  and  sand  were  borne  rapidly  away  farther 
out  to  sea  on  to  lower  levels.  It  is  a  general  rule  that 
all  beaches  on  this  coast  with  a  northerly  and  easterly 


!    il 


Ik 


310 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


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exposure  to  the  open  sea,  are  much  steeper,  and  com- 
posed of  much  coarser  materials,  than  those  in  more  shel- 
tered situations. 

At  Domino  Harbor  are  beaches  more  than  one  hun- 
dred feet  high,  and  in  sailing  up  the  sound  which  lies 
between  the  mainland  and  the  numerous  islands  that  line 
this  coast,  twelve  beaches  were  seen  rising  from  forty  to 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and 
composed  of  two  or  three  terraces. 

In  Sloop  Harbor,  twenty-five  miles  south  of  Cape 
Harrison,  is  a  noble  shingly  beach  nearly  two  hundred 
feet  high  on  the  south  side  of  the  harbor,  consequently 
facing  the  north. 

Thomas  Bay,  which  lies  about  thirty  miles  south  of 
Hopedale,  afforded,  along  both  of  its  shores  for  thirty 
miles  from  the  sea,  fine  examples  of  raised  beaches,  com- 
posed for  the  most  part  of  three  terraces.  High  beaches 
also  occurred  at  Hopedale.  The  mission  house  and 
buildings  belonging  to  this  Moravian  settlement  also 
rest  upon  raised  gravelly  beaches,  which  afford  soil  deep 
enough  for  gardens  and  cemeteries. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  from  want  of  time  and  proper 
instruments  we  were  unable  to  measure  the  heights  of 
these  beaches  and  their  respective  terraces.  Those  given 
are  simply  approximative,  with  the  exception  of  the  one 
noticed  as  occurring  upon  Henley  Island.  The  mass  of 
basalt  was  rudely  measured  by  Lieut.  Baddeley,  and  es- 
timated to  be  two  hundred  and  fifty-five  feet  high.  The 
terraces  rise  to  the  base  of  the  pillars,  which  he  estimated 
to  be  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet  above  the  sea. 

I  believe  it  will  ultimately  be  found  that  all  these 
beaches  rise  above  the  present  level  of  the  sea  at  uniform 


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RAISED   BEACHES. 


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heights,  and  will  be  found  generally  to  agree  in  this  re- 
spect with  similar  beaches  in  the  St.  Lawrence  River  and 
the  coast  of  the  British  colonies  and  New  England, 
after  making  due  allowances  for  local  oscillations  of  the 
land.  At  Chateau  Bay  it  could  easily  be  seen  that  all 
the  terraces  composing  the  different  beaches  were  of  the 
same  height ;  and,  so  far  as  memory  would  show,  in  the 
absence  of  actual  measurement,  all  those  beaches  ob- 
served farther  northward  presented  terraces  which  very 
generally  corresponded  in  height  with  those  of  Chateau 
Bay. 

I  am  informed  by  Captain  Ichabod  Handy  of  New 
Bedford,  Mass.,  who  has  spent  several  years  in  Hudson's 
Bay  engaged  in  the  whale  fishery,  and  is  a  close  ob- 
server, having  coasted  in  a  whale-boat  the  whole  shore 
from  Nain  to  Resolution  Island  in  lat.  62°,  that  there 
are  several  very  high  raised  beaches  near  Hebron,  and 
also  near  Nain,  one  of  which  he  roughly  estimated  to  be 
three  hundred  feet  high.  He  observed  that  the  beaches 
north  of  Nain  increased  in  height.  There  were  also 
beaches  on  Button  Island.  He  noticed  one  on  Reso- 
lution Island,  about  two  hundred  feet  high,  which  was 
composed  of  three  terraces.  On  the  Lower  or  East 
Savage  Island  he  described  to  me  a  plain  of  soft  clay  ele- 
vated fifty  feet  above  the  sea,  into  which  he  "sank  knee- 
deep,"  and  perceived  in  it  numerous  "  clams  and  mussels," 
and  also  the  skeleton  of  a  whale,  the  "  boar-head  "  whale 
(^Balaena  boops),  stranded  upon  the  surface.  This  ancient 
sea-bottom  was  flanked  by  a  raised  beach  from  thirty  to 
forty  feet  in  height. 

At   Sir    Thomas   Roe's    Welcome   he    describes   the 
beaches  as  being  higher  than  any  observed  southwards. 


1  : 


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312 


THE   GEOLOGY   OF  THE   LABRADOR  COAST. 


and  he  also  noticed  clay-banks,  containing  shells,  raised 
above  the  present  level  of  the  sea. 

Prof.  Hind  has  noticed  some  remarkable  beaches  far 
in  the  interior  of  the  southern  part  of  the  peninsula,  and 
at  a  great  height  above  the  present  level  of  the  sea. 
Though  this  author  does  not  refer  to  their  rearrangement 
by  the  currents  and  waves  of  the  sea,  his  description  of 
the  immense  deposits  of  rounded  and  water-worn  bowlders 
agrees  precisely  with  similar  raised  beaches  both  upon, 
and  a  mile  back  from,  the  coast,  observed  by  myself, 
where  they  are  covered  by  moss  and  Empetrum,  or 
stunted  spruces.  At  *'  Burnt  Portage,"  upon  the  river 
Moisie,  one  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth,  and  1,857 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  this  author  describes  a 
"  hill  of  bowlders  or  erratics,  all  water-worn  and  smooth, 
without  moss  or  lichen  upon  them,  and  piled  two  or  three 
deep,  and,  for  aught  you  know,  twenty  deep.  .  .  . 
The  well-worn  masses  of  all  sizes,  from  one  foot  to 
twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  from  one  ton  to  ten  thousand 
tons  in  weight,  are  washed  clean.  ...  I  could  without 
difficulty  see  three  tiers  of  these  '  travelled  rocks,'  and 
in  the  crevices  the  charred  roots  of  trees  which  had 
grown  in  the  mosses  and  lichens  which  formerly  clothed 
them." 

Another  feature  of  great  interest  in  this  connection  are 
the  rocky  terraces  or  steps  which  have  been  hewn  )ut  of 
the  solid  rocks  along  the  coast  for  a  height  of  five  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  present  level  of  the  sea,  and  mark 
the  oscillations  of  the  old  coast-line  ;  and  as  there  occur 
in  the  interior  of  the  country  one  thousand  feet  above 
the  present  coast-line  similar  lines  of  erosion,  they  pre- 
sent the  best  evidence  we  have,  to  determine  how  far 


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ROCK  TERRACES. 


313 


above  its  present  level  the  glacial  sea  stood.  These 
rock  terraces  could  only  have  been  formed  so  fully  as 
seen  here  during  a  vast  period,  and  the  ice-foot  of  Dr. 
Kane,  to  which  their  formation  is  probably  due,  must 
have  remained  on  the  shore  during  the  entire  year.  Fine 
examples  of  similar  terraces  are  described  and  figured  in 
Kane's  "  Explorations,"  vol.  ii.  p.  81.  At  various  points 
along  the  coast  the  joint  action  of  frost,  the  waves,  and 
floating  ice  can  even  now  be  seen  building  up  these  steps 
in  the  slopes  of  trap  and  syenitic  rocks,  by  taking  advan- 
tage of  the  jointure  and  cleavage  planes  vvhich  cross  at 
nearly  right  angles.  At  Strawberry  Harbor  the  syenitic 
rocks  have  broken  off  into  huge  cubical  blocks  of  many 
tons'  weight.  The  rock  abounds  in  cracks  and  fissures, 
into  which  the  ice  has  entered  wedge-like,  and  burst  them 
asunder,  while  the  fragments  have  been  borne  away  by 
shore-ice.  Thus  for  a  height  of  five  hundred  feet  the 
shore  consists  of  a  series  of  steps  ten  to  thirty  feet  high, 
forming  broad  shelves  on  which  the  sea-birds  build,  and 
where  a  little  vegetation  lodges.  Where  the  shore  con- 
sists of  trap-rocks,  as  at  Domino  Harbor  and  Tub  Island, 
the  steps  are  much  smaller  and  more  numerous.  At 
Domino  there  are  regular  steps  in  the  quartzites,  which 
lend  a  very  peculiar  feature  to  the  shores  of  the  harbor, 
as  at  a  little  distance  the  rocky  slopes  descending  by 
hundreds  of  steps  to  the  water,  appear  like  a  lofty  beach 
of  bowlders.  At  Sloop  Harbor  these  rocky  steps  are  of 
vast  extent,  their  tops  shelving  inland,  and  in  profile  the 
rocky  promontory  presents  a  strange  serrated  outline 
when  viewed  from  the  sea.  The  lofty  sugar-loaf  syenitic 
island  a  few  miles  south  of  Hopedale,  noticed  previously, 


'  ^i 


I  u\ 


\\y 


3H 


THE  GEOLOGY   OF  THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


'^ 


■?'1i 


and  which  is  seven  hundred  feet  high,  has  its  surface  di- 
vided into  four  terraces  of  rock,  which  reach  two  thirds 


13  ill, 1 


of  the  distance  up  its  sides  from  the  water,  thus  affording 
a  means  of  estimating  the  different  heights  at  which  the 


ROCK   TERRACES. 


315 


land  paused  in  its  oscillations  upwards.*  We  must  again 
refer  to  Mr.  Hind's  work  for  an  account  of  similar  rocky 
terraces  in  the  interior  of  the  peninsula.  Near  the 
"  Lake  where  the  land  lies,"  he  describes  the  gneiss  hills 


1  i  * 

i 

III  ' 

fPf 

:,f!f< 

I'' 


ROCK  TERRACES  ON  A  CONICAL    PROMONTORY  NEAR    HOPEDAI.K,  LABRADOR. 


fding 
the 


as  rising  in  "gigantic  terraces."  He  likewise  speaks  of 
'* gneiss  terraces  five  in  number,  the  highest  being  abqut 
one  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,"  and  he  states  tnat  the 
sloping  sides  of  these  abrupt  steps  are  rounded,  polished, 
and  furrowed  by  glacial  action. f 

Mr.  Cayley  has  described  them  also  quite  fully  :  "  We 
now  made  the  fifth  portage  [fifty  miles  from  the  mouth 
of  the  river,  and  370  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea], 
where  we  first  met  with  some  curious  natural  steps  or 
terraces,  which  were  continually  repeated  on  our  march. 
They  were  usually  five  or  six  in  number,  averaging  three 
or  four  feet  in  height ;  the  distances*  between  each  rather 
irregular,  just  affording  room  enough  to  take  two  or 
three  paces,  and  their  surfaces  presenting  the  appearance 
of  having  been  artificially  constructed.     They  were  of 

*  "Terraces  or  banks  of  gravel  and  ancient  shingle  beaches  were  observed 
on  either  side  of  the  inlet  [Nachvak  Inlet]  at  various  heights  up  to  an  estimated 
elevation  of  two  thousand  feet." 
Surv.  Canada  for  1885,  p.  7,  DD. 

t  Hind's  Labrador,  p.  133. 


Bell's   "Observations,"   1885,   Rep.   Geol. 


'\\*>: 


l\ 


i 


I! 


li 


:J 


316 


THE  GEOLOC.Y  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


the  common  dark  hornblendic  gneiss,  and  ran  in  a  gen- 
eral northeast  and  southwest  direction."  * 

No  glacial  striae  upon  these  terraces  were  observed 
near  the  shore.  It  is  evident  that  this  process  of  terrac- 
ing the  cystalline  rocks  by  frosts  and  shore-ice  began 
during  the  glacial  epoch.  At  present  we  must  assume 
that  the  striae  found  by  Professor  Hind  upon  these 
rocky  steps  far  inland  were  graven  by  angular  stones 
frozen  into  the  bottoms  of  glaciers,  for  we  find  no  such 
marks  at  present  upon  those  now  upon  the  coast,  which 
shows  how  insuflficient  is  the  action  of  floating  shore-  or 
floe-ice,  or  grounded  bergs  even,  in  striating  so  regularly 
these  hard  crystalline  rocks. 

We  saw  a  good  example  of  rocks  polished  by  the  ice 
and  waves  at  Gore  Island  Harbor,  a  point  westward  of 
Little  Mecatina  Island.  On  the  faces  of  several  cliffs 
forming  perpendicular  walls  facing  a  narrow  passage 
into  which  the  waves  rushed  with  great  force  in  the 
calmest  days,  the  sea-wall  was  smoothly  polished  and 
water-worn  for  ten  feet  above  its  shore-line,  while  above, 
the  face  of  the  cliff  was  roughened  by  the  action  of  frost. 

Upon  this  coast,  which  during  the  summer  of  1864 
was  lined  with  a  belt  of  floe-ice  and  bergs  probably  two 
hundred  miles  broad,  and  which  extended  from  the  Gulf 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  at  Belles  Amours  to  the  arctic 
seas,  this  immense  body  of  floating  ice  seemed  directly 
to  produce  but  little  alteration  in  its  physical  features. 
If  we  were  to  ascribe  the  grooving  and  polishing  of 
rocks  to  the  action  of  floating  ice-floes  and  bergs,  how  is 
it  that  the  present  shores  far  above  (500  feet),  and  at 

*  Up  the  River  Moisie,  loc.  cit,,  p.  82. 


THK    FLOK-TCK. 


317 


: 


ill 


the 

and 
bove, 
frost. 

1864 
ly  two 

Gulf 
arctic 
'redly 
itures. 
r  of 
how  is 

nd  at 


least  250  feet  below  the  water-line,  are  often  jagged  and 
angular,  though  constantly  stopping  the  course  of  masses 
of  ice  impelled  four  to  six  miles  an  hour  by  the  joint 
action  of  tides,  currents,  and  winds?  No  bowlders,  or 
gravel,  or  mud  were  seen  upon  any  of  the  bergs  or 
masses  of  shore-ice.  They  had  dropped  all  burdens  of  this 
nature  nearer  their  points  of  detachment  in  the  high  arctic 
regions.  The  bergs  all  bore  evidence  of  having  been 
repeatedly  overturned  as  they  were  borne  along  in  the 
current.  Thr  floe-ice  was  hummocky,  which  is  a  strong 
proof  of  its  having  come  from  open  straits  in  the  polar 
regions,  the  masses  looking  as  if  having  been  frozen  and 
refrozen,  jammed  together,  and  then  piled  atop  of  each 
other  by  currents  and  winds  long  before  ap})earing  upon 
this  coast ;  while  the  bergs  exhibited  old  water-lines  pre- 
senting different  angles  to  the  present  water-level.  The 
only  discoloration  noticed  was  probably  caused  by  seals 
resting  upon  and  soiling  the  surface.  One  bowlder  was 
noticed  by  a  member  of  the  party  resting  upon  an  ice- 
berg off  Cape  Harrison  in  August. 

This  huge  area  of  floating  ice,  embracing  so  many 
thousands  of  square  miles,  was  of  greater  extent,  and  re- 
mained longer  upon  the  coast  in  1864  than  for  forty 
years  previous.  It  was  not  only  pressed  upon  the  coast 
by  the  normal  action  of  the  Labrador  and  Greenland 
currents  which,  in  consequence  of  the  rotatory  motion 
of  the  earth,  tended  to  force  the  ice  in  a  southwesterly 
direction,  but  the  presence  of  the  ice  caused  the  constant 
passage  of  cooler  currents  of  air  from  the  sea  over  the 
ice  upon  the  heated  land,  giving  rise  during  the  present 
season  to  a  constant  succession  of  northeasterly  winds 
from  March  until  early  in  August,  which  further  served 


It 


318 


THE   (JKOLOGY    OK   TllK    I,AHKAl)t)K   COAST. 


Im 


to  crowd  the  ice  into  every  harbor  and  recess  upon  tiie 
coast.  It  was  the  universal  complaint  of  the  inhabitants 
that  the  easterly  winds  were  more  prevalent,  and  the  ice 
"  held  "  later  in  the  harbors  this  year  than  for  many  sea- 
sons previous.  Thus  the  fisheries  were  nearly  a  failure, 
and  vegetation  greatly  retarded  in  its  development.  But 
so  far  as  polishing  and  striating  the  rocks,  depositing 
drift  material  and  thus  modifying  the  contour  of  the  sur- 
face of  the  present  coast,  this  modern  mass  of  bergs  and 
floating  ice  effected  comparatively  little.  Single  ice- 
bergs, when  small  enough,  entered  the  harbors,  and 
there  stranding,  soon  pounded  to  pieces  upon  the  rocks, 
melted,  and  disappeared.  From  Cape  Harrison  in  lat. 
55°  to  Caribou  Island  was  an  interrupted  line  of  bergs 
stranded  in  eighty  to  one  hundred  or  more  fathoms, 
often  miles  apart,  while  others  passed  to  the  seaward 
down  by  the  eastern  coast  of  Newfoundland,  or  through 
the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

The  Labrador  Banks, — Prof.  H.  Y.  Hind*  has  pointed 
out  the  existence  of  shoals  or  fishing-banks  off  the  Ailik 
Head  and  Kippokak  Bay,  composed  of  morainal  mat- 
ter brought  down  the  fiords  and  pushed  into  the  sea. 
That  the  fiords  and  bays  were,  however,  excavated  by 
the  glaciers  themselves  we  are  much  inclined  to  doubt, 
since  these  bays  and  fiords  were  natural  valleys,  which  per- 
haps date  back  to  Laurentian  times,  and  whic''  h  /e  been 
for  many  geological  ages  excavated  by  s'  .s,  thougl 
during  the  glacial  epoch  remodelled  by  th  ce  and  sub- 
glacial  streams.     Referring  to  .Kippokak   Bay,  t  le  next 

*  The  effects  of  the  fishery  clauses  of  the  treaty  of  Washington  on  the  fish- 
eries and  fishermen  of  British  North  America,  1877,  Part  II.  pp.  68,  69,  quoted 
in  Goode's  Fishery  Industries  of  the  United  States,  V.  vol.  i.  134-137,  1887. 


THE    LABRADOR   F ISHINCMJANKS. 


319 


by 

►ubt, 

per- 

Ibeen 

)UgV 

sub- 

Inext 


bay  north  of  Ailik,  he  remarks  :  "  But  the  glaciers  of 
Labrador  have  probably  left  even  more  valuable  records,* 
in  the  form  of  moraines,  of  their  early  existence  here 
than  deep  fiords  or  innumerable  islands.  These  are  the 
shoals  and  banks  which  lie  some  fifteen  miles  outside  of 
the  islands,  and  on  which  icebergs  strand  in  long  lines 
and  in  groups.  I  have  styled  them  the  Inner  Range  of 
Banks,  to  distinguish  them  from  a  supposed  Outer 
Range  in  deeper  water,  where  large  icebergs  sometimes 
take  the  ground.  The  inner  banks,  as  far  as  they  are 
known,  are  stated  by  fishermen  to  have  from  twenty  to 
forty  fathoms  of  water  on  them.  Commander  Max- 
well's soundings  between  Cape  Harrison  and  Gull  Is- 
land, near  Hopedale,  and  just  outside  of  the  island  zone, 
rarely  show  depths  greater  than  forty  fathoms.  In  one 
instance  only,  in  a  distance  of  about  one  hundred  and 
ten  nautical  miles,  is  a  depth  of  fifty-nine  fathoms  re- 
corded. 

*'  Absence  of  Isla7ids  on  the  Sotithern  Labrador. — The 
Admiralty  chart  portrays  a  very  important  confirmation 
of  the  Labrador  coast-line,  from  Saint  Lewis  Sound 
to  Spotted  Island.  The  trend  of  the  coast-line  between 
the  Battle  Islands,  south  of  Saint  Lewis  Sound,  and 
Spotted  Island,  Domino  Run,  a  distance  of  sixty-five 
miles,  is  due  north,  and,  with  very  tew  exceptions,  there 
are  no  islands  off  the  coast  throughout  this  distance,  ex- 
cluding the  group  close  inshore  between  Spotted  Island 
and  Stony  Island.  As  soon  as  the  coast-line  begins  to 
turn  northwesterly  islands  become  numerous  and  con- 
tinually increase  in  number  as  far  as  Cape  Mugford,  and 
even  towards  Cape  Chudleigh.  Between  Cape  Harrison 
and  Cape  Mugford,  the  island  zone  may  be  estimated 


320 


THE   GEOLOGY   OF  THE   LABRADOR  COAST. 


.11 


\^' 


H    i 


\ 

!■; 

r'li 


-  i,    .  ; 


l.h 


i^r* 


as  having  a  depth  of  twenty  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
*the  fiord  seawards.  The  cause  of  the  general  ahsence 
of  islands  south  of  Spotted  Island  and  Stony  Island  can 
probably  be  traced  to  the  never-ceasing  action  ot  north- 
ern ice  driven  on  the  coast-line,  where  it  suddenly  makes 
its  southerly  bend  by  the  influence  of  the  rotation  of  the 
earth  upon  the  arctic  current.  This  current  sweeps  past 
the  Labrador  coast  with  a  speed  of  from  i^  to  2  knots  an 
hour,  and  a  westerly  pressure,  due  to  the  earth's  rotation, 
which  may  be  estimated  at  about  eleven  inches.  That 
is  to  say,  the  mean  level  of  the  sea  on  the  coast  of  Labra- 
dor is  supposed  to  be  about  eleven  inches  above  the  level 
it  would  assume  if  uninfluenced  by  the  earth's  rotation. 
As  soon  as  the  ice-ladened  current  reaches  Spotted  Island 
it  is  in  part  relieved  from  this  pressure  by  the  trend 
of  the  coast  from  southeast  to  due  south  ;  hence  the  cur- 
rent changes  its  course  suddenly  and  onto  the  land. 
But  the  effect  of  this  sudden  change  in  the  direction  of 
the  current  near  the  shore  is  to  throw  the  icebergs  onto 
the  coast  from  Spotted  Island  to  Cape  St.  Lewis,  where 
they  may  be  seen  stranded  each  year  in  great  numbers. 
The  islands  which  doubtless  once  existed  here  have  been 
removed  by  constant  abrasion,  acting  uninterruptedly 
for  ages,  and  with  the  islands  the  moraines  lying  sea- 
wards. VVe  may  thus  trace  the  cause  of  the  vast  differ- 
ence between  the  distribution  of  stranded  icebergs  south 
of  ^L'potted  Island  and  northwest  of  it.  In  one  case  they 
are  stranded  near  the  coast-line,  wearing  it  away  and 
deepening  the  water  near  it,  assisted  by  the  undertow  ; 
in  the  other  case  they  are  stranded  some  fifteen  miles 
from  the  island  fringe,  and  continually  adding  to  the 
banks  the  ddbris  they  may  bring,  in  the  form  of  mud 


THE    LABRADOR    FISHING-BANKS. 


321 


)Uth 

thev 

nd 


a  I 


low  ; 

hiles 

the 

[nud 


streaks,  from  the  glaciers  which  gave  them  birth  in  the 
far  north  and  northeast.  It  is  more  than  probable  that 
this  distribution  of  icebergs  has  a  very  important  bearing 
upon  the  food  and  feeding  of  the  cod,  which  justifies  me 
in  referring  here  with  so  much  detail  to  the  action  of 
glacial  ice. 

"  The  Inner  Range  of  Banks. — The  foundation  of  the 
inner  range  of  banks  consists,  very  probably,  as  already 
stated,  of  glacial  moraines.  In  their  present  state  they 
may  reasonably  be  assumed  to  be  formed  in  great  part 
jf  remodelled  debris  brought  down  by  the  same  glaciers 
which  excavated  the  deep  fiords, 

"  The  absence  of  deposits  of  sand  in  the  form  of  mod- 
ern beaches  on  every  part  of  the  Labrador  coast  visited 
tliis  season,  except  one,  was  very  marked.  The  excep- 
tional area  observed  lies  between  Sandwich  Bay  and 
Hamilton  Inlet,  Cape  Porcupine  being  the  centre.  It 
is  protected  from  the  northern  swell  of  the  ocean  by  the 
Indian  Harbor  Islands  and  promontory.  Here  large 
deposits  of  sand  are  seen,  covering  many  square  miles  in 
area.  The  reason  why  sandy  beaches  are  not  in  general 
found  on  this  coast,  notwithstanding  that  enormous 
quantities  of  rock  are  annually  ground  up  by  coast-ice 
and  ice-pans  driven  on  the  shore,  arises  from  the  under- 
tow carrying  the  sand  seawards  and  depositing  it  on  the 
shoals  or  banks  outside  of  the  islands. 

"  It  may  be  advisable  here  to  advert  to  a  popular  error 
which  assumes  that  the  depth  of  water  in  which  an  ice- 
berg grounds  is  indicated  by  the  height  of  the  berg 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  commonly  stated  that 
while  there  is  one  ninth  above  there  will  be  eight  ninths 
of  the  berg  below  the  sea-level.     This  is  approximately 


i  h 


11! 


9 
,Jiii 

I  ii'',- 


Mi 


322 


THE   GEOLOGY   OK   THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


£■•:!. 'if; 


l  'y 


If! 


r  1  ^ 

true  only  with  regard  to  volume  or  mass  of  the  berg, 
not  with  regard  to  height  and  depth.  A  berg  may  show 
an  elevation  of  one  hundred  feet  above  water,  and  yet 
its  depth  below  may  not  exceed  double  that  amount,  but 
its  volume  or  mass  will  be  about  eight  times  the  mass  it 
shows  on  the  surface.  Hence,  while  icebergs  ground  in 
thirty  and  forty  fathoms  of  water,  they  may  expose  a 
front  of  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in 
altitude,  the  broad,  massive  base  supporting  a  mass  about 
one  ninth  of  its  volume  above  the  sea-level." 

Oscillatio7i  of  the  Land. — From  all  the  indications 
noticed  casually  by  us,  such  as  the  position  of  beaches 
apparently  very  recently  raised  above  the  sea-level,  so  as 
to  be  just  beyond  the  reach  of  the  waves,  the  land  is 
slowly  gaining  on  the  sea.  The  Rev.  C.  C.  Carpenter, 
missionary  at  Caribou  Island,  in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
also  informs  me  that  this  is  his  impression,  gained  both 
from  his  observations  and  information  given  by  the  set- 
tlers. To  this  last  source  Mr.  J.  F.  Campbell  is  indebted 
for  the  statement  in  his  "  Frost  and  Fire,"  that  the 
coast  of  Labrador  is  slowly  rising.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  land  appears  to  be  sinking  about  Hudson's  Strait. 

In  Dr.  Bell's  Report  for  1884  of  Lieut.  Gordon's 
Hudson's  Bay  Expedition,  it  is  stated  that  ancient  stone 
structures,  erected  by  the  Eskimos,  were  observed,  and 
Dr.  Bell  remarks  :  "  From  what  I  have  seen  of  the  situa- 
tions which  the  Eskimos  in  various  places  in  Hudson's 
Bay  and  Strait  choose  for  their  camps,  there  appeared 
to  be  little  doubt  that  they  had  lived  here  when  the  sea- 
level  was  twenty  to  thirty  feet  higher  than  it  is  at  pres- 
ent." 

River  Terrace  Period. — Owing  to  the  great  denuda- 


THE   LEDA   CLAYS. 


323 


lOW 

yet 
but 
ss  it 
d  in 
se  a 
et  in 
bout 

tions 

aches 

so  as 

and  is 

enter. 

e  Isle. 

I  both 

le  set- 

lebted 

at  the 
hand, 
Strait. 

)rdon's 
stone 
d,  and 
situa- 
dson's 
.peared 
he  sea- 
lit  pres- 


tion  of  all  drift  material,  and  the  hilly  character  of  the 
country,  we  find  no  broad  terraced  river  valleys,  such  as 
characterize  more  temperate  regions.  On  the  contrary, 
the  rivers  are  a  succession  of  ponds,  connected  by  rapids, 
where  the  stream  plunges  from  one  rocky  terrace  to  the 
next  one  below,  taking  the  direction  of  natural  ravines. 
Though  the  volume  of  these  rivers  during  the  Terrace 
epoch,  or  period  of  great  rivers,  may  have  been  greater 
than  now,  as  evidenced  by  a  few  small  terraces  upon 
their  banks,  we  have  no  evidence  that  they  ran  in  much 
wider  channels  than  at  present,  owing  to  the  great  height 
of  their  banks. 

The  Occurrence  of  the  Leda  Clays  in  Labrador. — At 
the  mouth  of  Salmon  River,  a  small  stream  flowing  into 
the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  three  miles  east  of  the  mouth  of 
the  Esquimaux  River,  occurred  a  clay-bank  about  ten 
feet  high,  and  situated  just  above  high-water  mark, 
which  was  dark  blue  and  free  from  bowlders.  It  con- 
tained in  abundance  Aporrhais  occidentalism  Serripes 
gronlandicus,  and  Cardium  Hayesii. 

This  deposit  of  clay  is  of  more  recent  age  than  the 
deposits  noticed  below,  as  it  was  a  few  feet  higher,  and 
situated  more  ^and.  It  undoubtedly  rests  upon  the 
lower  fossiliferous  gravel-beds,  though  I  did  not  see  the 
point  of  contact. 

The  most  important  deposits  occurred  at  Caribou 
Island  at  the  mouth  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  at  Pitt's 
Arm  in  Chateau  Bay,  and  at  Hopedale.  They  consisted 
of  sandy  clays  and  a  coarse  gravel  found  between  tide 
marks,  and  extending  beneath  the  water.  Should  the 
present  banks  now  lying  ofT  the  coast  be  raised  and  ex- 
posed to  view,  we  would  have  an  identical  deposit.  •   All 


i[ 


i!i 


B 


I  ' 


324 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


1     '' 


If   :■ 


M' 


k 


i' 


the  stones  and  pebbles  of  this  ancient  sea-bottom,  finely- 
exposed  at  Hopedale,  are  covered  with  nullipores  and 
polyzoa  ;  the  Afya  truncata  still  remains  perpendicular 
in  its  holes,  and  the  most  delicate  shells,  with  their  epi- 
dermis still  on,  are  unbroken,  and  their  valves  often 
united  by  the  ligament.  The  delicate  Myriozoum  has 
preserved  its  fine  markings  nearly  as  perfectly  as  in 
specimens  dredged  at  the  present  day,  and  the  cases  of 
the  delicate  Spiochastopterus  are  still  preserved.  It  is 
evident  that  this  deposit  has  slowly  and  almost  imper- 
ceptibly risen  some  four  hundred  or  five  hundred  feet, 
without  any  paroxysmal  movement  of  the  continent, 
over  an  extent  of  coast  some  six  hundred  miles  in 
length. 

This  rise  of  the  Labrador  peninsula  must  have  accom- 
panied the  rise  of  the  polar  regions,  including  Arctic 
America  and  Greenland,  and  in  fact  all  the  land  lying 
in  the. northern  hemisphere.  Many  facts  in  the  distri- 
bution of  fossils  in  these  glacial  beds,  and  the  present 
relations  of  these  beds  to  deposits  above  and  beneath 
them,  tend  to  prove  that  the  glacial  epoch  occurred 
simultaneously  over  all  the  arctic  regions  and  the 
northern  temperate  zone,  and  that  the  submergence  and 
subsequent  rise  of  the  continental  masses  and  outlying 
islands  were  synchronous  in  both  hemispheres.  Pro- 
fessor Haughton  has  summed  up  the  evidence  of  such 
a  rise  from  raised  beaches  and  ancient  sea-bottoms  in  the 
American  Arctic  Archipelago.*     The  researches  of  Dr. 

*  "  McClure  found  shells  of  the  Cyprina  islandica,  at  the  summit  of  the  Cox- 
comb Range,  in  Baring  Island,  at  an  elevation  of  five  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea-level;  Captain  Parry,  also,  has  recorded  the  occurrence  of  Venus  (probably 
CypriAa  islandica)  on  Byam   Martin's  Island;    and  in  the  recent  voyage  of  the 


QUATERNARY    FOSSILS. 


325 


Kane  in  the  extreme  north  of  Greenland  enabled  him 
"  to  assert  positively  the  interesting  fact  of  a  secular 
elevation  [480  feet]  of  the  crust  commencing  at  some  as 
yet  undetermined  point  north  of  76°,  and  continuing  to 
the  Great  Glacier  and  the  high  northern  latitudes  of 
Grinnell  Land."     (Vol.  ii.  p.  81.) 

We  need  not  here  allude  to  the  similar  oscillations  in 
northern  and  central  Europe  to  still  greater  heights 
above  the  present  level  of  the  ocean. 

At  various  points  along  the  coast  from  Caribou  Island, 
where  they  were  abundant,  to  Hopedale,  occurred  in  the 
drift  gravel  beds  associated  with  the  fossils,  numerous 
pebbles  and  small  bowlders  of  a  light  silicious  bedded 
limestone,  which  contained  numerous  Silurian  fossils. 
Lieber  mentions  finding  pieces  of  limestone  on  the  shore 
of  Aulezavik  Island.  There  can  be  little  doubt  that 
these  bowlders  were  transported  on  ice  from  the  Silurian 
basins  in  the  arctic  regions  on  the  west  side  of  Baffin's 
Bay.  Perhaps  their  origin  may  by  future  observers  be 
traced  to  the  Silurian  limestones  found  at  the  head  of 
Frobisher's  Bay  by  Hall.  Such  fragments  are  not  now 
to  be  seen  on  the  floe-ice  coming  down  from  the  north. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  species  mentioned  in  the 
following  lists  (reprinted  from  the  Memoirs  of  the  Boston 
Society  of  Natural  History,  i.  231-234)  occurred  in  great 
abundance  and  in  a  good  state  of  preservation,  so 
that    they  could    be  compared  very  satisfactorily  with 


^il 


'  I  r  I 


Jlhe  Cox- 
Ibove  the 
Iprobably 
\e  of  the 


'Fox,'  Dr.  Walker,  the  surgeon  of  the  expedition,  found  the  following  sub- 
fossil  shells  at  Port  Kennedy,  at  elevations  of  from  one  hundred  to  five  hundred 
feet:  Saxicava  rugosa ,  Tellina proxima,  Astarte  arctica  (borealis),  Mya  uddeval- 
lensis,  Mya  truncata,  Cardiutn  sp.,  Buccinum  undatum,  Acmea  testudinalis,  Bala- 
ftus  uddevallensis." — Appendix  to  McClintock's  Narrative.     (Amer.  edit.  p.  370.) 


I  (..r--  -=^ 


■I 


,.1: 


i ; 


I-    •        I 


I 


i'   ; 


326 


THE   GEOLOGY   OF  THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


recent  specimens  dredged  upon  the  coast.  Most  of  the 
species,  after  careful  and  repeated  comparisons  with  the 
recent  examples,  did  not  present  any  appreciable  differ- 
ences. In  a  few  instances  there  were  characters  found 
by  which  the  fossils  could  be  distinguished  from  the  recent 
shells  of  the  same  species,  and  those  I  have  carefully 
enumerated. 

Nullipara  polymorpha  Linn.  This  plant  occurred 
abundantly  at  Caribou  Island.  At  Hopedal*^  it  was  pro- 
fusely abundant,  growing  in  large  free  masses  or  encrust- 
ing shells  and  stones. 

Euryechinus  drobacJiiensis  Verrill.  (  Toxopneustes  dro- 
bachiensis  A.  Agassiz.  Echinus  grantdaris  Say.)  Frag- 
ments of  the  shells  and  numerous  spines  occurred  abun- 
dantly at  Caribou  Island  and  Hopedale. 

Lepralia  Belli  Dawson.  Encrusting  pebbles  at  Hope- 
dale.  One  colony  also  on  a  shell.  The  young  cells 
were  large,  with  crowded  and  sometimes  perforate,  gran- 
ulated conical  ovicells.  The  avicularia  are  situated  either 
in  front  of  the  opening  or  crowded  to  one  side,  and  are 
two  in  number.  Both  old  and  young  correspond  pre- 
cisely with  a  specimen  received  from  Dr.  Dawson. 

Lepralia  pertusa  Thompson.  This  species  occurred 
on  the  shells  of  Buccinum  cretaceum.  It  agrees  well 
with  the  large,  oblong  and  coarsely  punctate  recent 
specimens.  It  is  well  figured  by  Dawson  in  the  Canadian 
Naturalist  and  Geologist,  Feb.  1859,  p.  15,  fig.  16. 

Lepralia  ciliata  Johnst.  This  form  also  occurred 
frequently  with  the  preceding.  The  cells  are  convex, 
the  avicularia  are  present,  projecting  over  the  aperture. 
The  surface  is  punctate. 

Celleporaria  surcularis  Packard,  Can.  Nat.  Dec.  1863, 


"\X\    \ 


(lUATERNAKY    FOSSILS. 


327 


1 

i 

i  I 

'  1 

i 

;i 

'' 

r  ■ 

p.  410.  Occurred  frequently  on  Lamellibranch  shells 
in  large  a!id  thick  masses  at  Caribou  Island  and  Hope- 
dale. 

Myriozouvi  subgracile  D'Orbigny.  {^Millepora  trim- 
cata  Fabr.,  Faun.  Groenl.)  Fragments  of  the  stems  of 
this  graceful  species  occurred  abundantly  at  both  locali- 
ties. 

Rhynconella  psittacca  (Gm.).  Perfect  valves  were 
found  at  Caribou  Island,  and  others  were  given  me 
which  were  reported  to  have  been  found  three  miles  from 
the  mouth  of  the  Esquimaux  River.  Other  shells,  such 
as  a  Cardiuni  and  Cardita  borealis,  also  came  from  the 
same  place,  showing  that  they  had  been  washed  out  of  a 
drift  disposit  on  the  river.  This  species  was  abundant 
at  Hopedale,  where  the  valves  adhered  by  their  ligament. 

Pecten  islandicus  Linn.  This  v/as  not  common.  Sev- 
eral ponderous  valves,  larger  than  I  have  seen  elsewhere, 
had  the  ribs  united  into  groups  of  two  or  three,  separated 
by  sulci  of  equal  width  ;  but  in  young  and  fragile  sub- 
jects the  ribs  were  equally  distributed,  and  differed  in  no 
respect  from  the  living  young,  or  from  those  of  the  same 
age,  from  the  drift  clays  of  Maine  and  New  Brunswick. 

Yoldiamyalis  Stimps.  A  specimen  of  Yoldia  arctica, 
received  from  Dr.  Liitken,  approaches  Y.  niyalis  more 
than  Y.  sapotilla.  It  is  however,  longer,  and  the  lunula 
is  not  so  short  and  deep  as  in  Y.  myalis.  One  valve. 
Hopedale. 

Leda  minuta  Moll.  {Area  minuta  Fabr.,  Faun. 
Groenl.)     Caribou  Island,  rare.     Common  at  Hopedale. 

Modiolaria  discrepans  Moll.  One  broken  valve. 
Hopedale. 


fi 


% 


328 


THE   GEOLOGY   OF  THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


J! 


;    I 


j^ 


In;-    ^ 


Mytilns  edulis  Linn.  Fragments  of  large  valves  were 
abundant,  but  young  shells  were  uncommon. 

Carclmm  Hayesii  Stimps.  Proc.  Acad.  Nat.  Sc. 
Philad.  p.  581,  1862.  This  species  occurred  both  at 
Hopedale  and  Caribou  Island. 

Serripes  gronlanduus  (Chemn.)  Beck.  Caribou 
Island,  frequent.     Chateau  Bay. 

Astarte  Ba7iksii  Leach,  Zool.  Beechy's  Voyage.  {A. 
WarJianii  Hancock,  Ann.  Mag.  Nat.  Hist.,  vol.  xviii., 
1846,  p.  336,  pi.  v.,  figs.  15,  16.  A.  Richardsoni  Reeve, 
Last  of  the  Arctic  Voyagers,  ii.  App.  A.  fabiila  Reeve, 
1.  c.  ;  A.  Laurentiana  Lyell ;  A.  compressa  Daws., — not 
of  European  authors.)  A  fine  series  of  specimens,  re- 
cent and  fossil,  from  Labrador,  and  fossil  from  Maine 
and  the  river  St.  Lawrence,  has  convinced  me  that  the 
numerous  variations  of  form  which  this  species  assumes 
are  of  local  origin,  arising  from  differences  in  habitat  or 
age.  Among  a  number  oiA.  Laurentiafia  Lyell,  received 
from  Montreal  through  the  kindness  of  Dr.  Dawson,  are 
some  thinner  and  more  finely  striated  than  usual,  but  I 
have  recent  specimens  and  also  fossils  from  Labrador 
agreeing  with  them.  The  species  varies  in  the  length  of 
the  shell  and  the  form  of  the  posterior  end,  but  the  shape 
of  the  anterior  end,  the  sulci  and  the  hinge  characters  are 
in  all  the  varieties  very  constant. 

Very  elongated  forms  are  like  A.  Warhami  Hancock, 
which  we  would  consider  as  a  synonym  of  this  species. 
The  varieties  A.  Richardsoni  and  A.  fabula  have  oc- 
curred in  the  same  locality,  at  Dumplin  Harbor  at 
the  mouth  of  Sandwich  Bay,  Labrador,  where  I  have 
dredged  them  alive. 

Astarte  striata  Gray.     One  specimen  from  Hopedale. 


"m  I 


■BBJI- 


II 


icock. 


QUATKKNARY   FOSSILS. 


329 


It  did  not  differ  from  drift  shells  found  at  Brunswick, 
Maine.  This  shell,  as  it  occurs  fossil,  is  thicker,  more 
ponderous,  more  equilaterally  triangular  ;  the  beaks  are 
directed  more  anteriorly,  the  teeth  are  much  larger,  and 
the  lunule  broader  and  shorter,  than  in  A.  Banksii. 

Astartc  compressa  Linn.  {^A.  elliptica  Brown.) 
Common  in  all  the  beds,  but  not  so  abundant  as  A. 
Banksii. 

Cardita  borealis  Conr.  Very  abundant  with  the  pre- 
ceding. 

Macoma  sabtilosa  Morch.  {^Tellina proxima  Brown.) 
Of  frequent  occurrence. 

Cyrtodaria  siliqua  Daudin.  Several  valves  at  Caribou 
Island. 

Panopcea  norvegica  Sprengel.  A  perfect  valve  of  this 
shell  occurred  at  Caribou  Island. 

Mya  truncata  Linn.  Both  the  short  and  common 
elongated  varieties  of  this  species  occurred,  especially  at 
Hopedale,  in  great  profusion. 

Saxicava  arctica  Desh.  Large  valves  occurred  in 
great  profusion  in  all  these  beds. 

Chiton  marmoreus  O.  Fabr.  Several  valves  were 
found  at  Hopedale. 

Acmaea  testudinalis  (Miill.).  One  specimen  occurred, 
encrusted  with  Nullipora. 

Lepeca  cceca  Moll.  (/*.  Candida  Couth.  ;  P.  cerea 
MoUer,  Reeve.)      Frequent. 

Pimcturella  noachina  (Leach).  (^Diadora  noachina 
Gray.)     Frequent. 

Margarita  cinerca.  (Couth.).  One  specimen.  Hope- 
dale. 


ill 


I  i 


ll 


''i 


330 


thk  (;eolo(jy  of  the  lahradou  coast. 


"lit 


^!'f*H 


Margarita  varicosa  (Mighl.  et  Adams).  Frequent  at 
Hopedale  and  Caribou  Island. 

Turritella  erosa  Couth.  As  numerous  in  proportion 
to  the  succeeding  species  as  at  present  on  the  coast. 

Ttirritella  reticulata  Mighl.  et  Adams.  (Z".  lactea 
Moll.)     Profusely  abundant  in  both  places. 

Tiirritellopsis  acicula  (Stimps.).  One  specimen. 
Caribou  Island. 

Aporrhais  occicientalis  Beck.  Several.  Caribou 
Island. 

Lunatia  grbnlandica  Moll.     Frequent. 

Natica  clansa  Sovvb.      Frequent. 

Adifiete  viridula  Stimps.     At  Caribou  Island. 

Bcla  robiista  Pack.  No  specimens  cf  this  species 
occurred  at  Caribou  Island  associated  with  the  other 
species  ;  it  seems  quite  rare,  and  has  not  occurred  in  a 
living  state.  Though  very  distinct  from  any  of  the  other 
species,  it  might  be  mistaken  for  a  very  much  shortened 
and  thickened  B,  amcricaiia.  It  is  much  shorter  and 
broader  than  B.  americana ;  the  whorls  are  five  in  num- 
ber, angulated,  giving  the  shell  a  well-marked  turretted 
form  ;  the  fourth  whorl  is  one  half  to  two  thirds  as  long 
as  the  first,  which  is  unusually  large  in  proportion  to  the 
rest  of  the  shell.  The  aperture  is  broad,  regularly  ovate  ; 
canal  long,  narrow,  oblique,  and  not  gradually  widening 
towards  the  aperture.  It  has  much  fewer  ribs  than  B. 
americana,  there  being  thirteen  on  the  lower  whorl, 
where  in  B.  americana  are  eighteen.  Length  .18; 
breadth  .  1 1  inch. 

Beta  americana  Packard.-  (^Fusus  turricnlus  Gould, 
Invert.  Mass.  Beta  scalaris  Packard,  Can.  Nat.  and 
Geol.  1863, — not  of  Moll.,  Index  Mollusc.  Gronl.)    Va- 


(^UATHkNAKV    lOSSILS. 


331 


im- 


mg 


ite; 

|ing 

B. 

prl, 

i8; 


lid, 
land 
\Va- 


riety.  One  specimen  occurred  fossil  at  Caribou  Island 
which  differed  in  no  respect  from  a  recent  specimen 
dredged  in  fifteen  to  thirty  fathoms  at  Square  Island, 
which  will  be  further  noticed  below. 

Beta  exarata  Moll.  {Dcfrancia  exarata  Moll.,  Index 
Mollusc.  Gronl. ;  Pleiirotoma  rugulahis  "  Moll."  Reeve, 
Icon.  Conch,  f.  345.)     Caribou  Island.     Common. 

Beta  IVoodmna  MoW.  {P/e?a'o^oma  /iiir/>u/ar/a  Couth., 
Bost.  Journ.  ii.,  p.  183.  Pleiirotoma  ieucostonm  Reeve, 
Icon.  Conch,  f.  278.)  Caribou  Island.  The  most  com- 
mon species  of  the  genus  in  these  deposits,  though  very 
rarely  found  living  by  us  ;  it  is  of  large  size  and  much 
eroded. 

Beia  decussata  (Couth.).  It  occurred  very  rarely  at 
Caribou  Island. 

Bela  pyratnidalis  (Strom. ).  ( Pleurotoma  rufa  Couth.) 
Not  common  ;  at  Hopedale  and  Caril)ou  Island. 

Bela  violacca  Mighl.  et  Adams.  {^De/rafici'a  cylin- 
dracea  Moll.  Ind.  Moll.  Gronl. ;  Pleurotoma  (^ronlandica 
Reeve,  1.  c.  fig.  343.)  Of  common  occurrence  at  Cari- 
bou Island. 

Bticcmum  glaciate  Linn.  Caribou  Island,  an  imper- 
fect specimen. 

Buccmum  grdnlanduumWsiV^cock.  Annals  and  Mag. 
Nat.  Hist,  xviii.  p.  329,  pi.  v.,  figs.  8,  9,  1846.  Pitt's 
Arm,  head  of  Chateau  Bay ;  one  specimen,  with  the 
outer  coating  of  shell  worn  off. 

Buccinum  tenue  Gray.  i^Buccinum  scalariforme  Beck, 
Stimps.,  Can.  Nat.,  Oct.  1865,  p.  14.)  One  specimen 
occurred  at  Caribou  Island,  wanting  the  lip  and  spire, 
but  showing  well  the  abbreviated  longitudinal  waves 
characteristic  of  the  species. 


prr 


III 


332 


TIIK   f;H(H,OGY   01     'I'HK    LAHkADOK   COAST. 


»    . 


w  ^  1 


mn  li^i' 


f^i 


M 


Buciiniiiii  uniiatiini  I^inn.  {B,  nndatttm  (ireene, 
Gould,  Dawson ;  B.  labradorense  Reeve,  Packard,  Can. 
Nat.  viii.  p.  416,  1863.) 

Tritonofusus  crctaceus  {Bnccinum  creiaceum  Reeve, 
Icon.  Conch  ;  Packard,  Can.  Nat.  viii.,  p. 
417,  pi.  ii.  fig.  6,  1863.)  This  interesting 
species,  now  found  not  uncommonly  on 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  also  occurs  fossil 
not  unfrcquently  at  Caribou  Island.  It 
differs  in  no  respect  from  living  forms. 

Fusus  i^Ncptuncd)  toi'uatus  Gould. 
Rarely  found  fossil  at  Caribou  Island,  and 
in  the  blue  clay  at  the  mouth  of  Salmon 
River. 

Fnstis  (^Ncptunca)  lahradorcMsis  Pack. 
Shell  fusiform  ;  whorls  moderately  convex, 
sutures  deeply  impressed,  the  upper  ones  somewhat  flat- 
tened, spire  elongated,  acute,  lower  whorl  ventricoriC, 
covered  with  rather  coarse  revolving  stria?.  On  the 
lower  whorl  are  twenty  nearly  straight,  coarse,  flattened 
folds,  which  on  the  succeeding  whorls  run  the  entire 
length  of  each  whorl.  Aperture  ovate,  columella  con- 
cave, smooth  ;  canal  moderately  long,  oblique,  slightly 
tortuous,  spire  a  little  longer  than  the  shell.  Length, 
one  inch  ;  breadth  .48  inch.  One  specimen  at  Caribou 
Island.  It  differs  from  Fnsns  pullus  Reeve  (fig.  89)  in 
being  apparently  a  much  thicker  shell,  in  the  longer 
canal,  and  in  the  more  ventricose  body  of  the  shell,  with 
the  coarser  revolving  lines. 

Fusus  tortuosus  Reeve,  Belcher's  Last  of  the  Arctic 
Voyagers,  ii.,  p.  394,  pi.  32,  fig.  5.     Our  specimens  dif- 


TIUTONOKUSUS 
CRETACEUS. 


))in 

jnger 

with 


.rctic 


(.)UATEKNAKV    FOSSILS. 


333 


fer  from  the  description,  in  the  absence  of  the  long  tor- 
tuous canal  which  gives  the  species  its  name.  The  fos- 
sils have  the  same  convexity  of  the  whorls,  which  are 
covered  by  similar  revolving  striie  ;  hut  the  first  whorl  is 
less  contracted  at  the  origin  of  the  canal,  and  the  canal 
itself  is  from  half  to  two  thirds  the  length  of  the  first 
whorl,  while  in  F.  tortuosus  the  canal  nearly  equals  the 
length  of  the  whorl.  In  this  respect  it  approaches  Fusiis 
pygrtKeus  Gould,  from  which  it  is  distinguished  by  its 
size,  the  greater  convexity  of  its  whorls,  and  the  dce])ly 
impressed  revolving  lines. 

This  was  a  frequent  shell  in  the  gravel  deposit  on 
Caribou  Island,  and  large  specimens  measured  nearly 
three  inches  in  length. 

Trichotropis  borcalis  Sovvb.  et  Brod.  Not  uncom- 
mon at  Hopedale  and  Caribou  Island. 

Spirorbis glovierata  Miill.  Occurred  as  usual  on  shells 
at  Caribou  Island. 

S.  vitrea  Stimps.  Only  young  and  flattened  speci- 
mens occurred. 

Spioch^topterus  typus  Sars,  Fauna  littoralis,  ii.  Frag- 
ments of  tubes  belonging  apparently  to  this  worm  were 
found  fossil  at  Caribou  Island. 

Balanus  porcatus  Da  Costa.  Numerous  fragments 
occurred  at  Caribou  Island  and  Hopedale. 

In  the  above  list  occur  several  forms  of  great  interest 
which  have  not  been  found  fossil  elsewhere,  or  in  no 
such  profusion,  arid  seem  to  be  perhaps  characteristic  of 
this  fauna  and  to  have  had  their  metropolis  either  in  this 
area  or  in  Arctic  America,  in  contradistinction  from 
Arctic  Europe.     Such  are 


t  ■  1 1. 


If'<l 


liiy^ji 


H 


f  I 


334  thp:  geology  of  the  Labrador  coast. 

Cardita  borealis  Bcla  exarata, 

Astarte  Banksii,  Beta  woodiana, 

Margarita  varuosa,  Bela  robusta, 

Turriiella  recticulata,  Bela  america7ia, 

Turritella  erosa,  Fustis  torttiosus, 

Aporrhais  occidentalis,  Fusus  labradorensis, 

Admeie  viridula,  Biicciimm  undtilatu^n, 
Trito7iofitsns  crctaceus. 

From  this  list  the  polyzoa  are  excluded,  since  no  spe- 
cies are  recorded  from  Greenland,  except  by  Otho  Fa- 
bricius  in  the  Fauna  Gronlandica. 

Upon  comparing  this  list  with  that  of  the  species 
comprised  in  the  present  fauna  of  Labrador,  we  can  ob- 
serve how  similar  are  the  two  faunae,  and  how  persistently 
the  characters  of  the  earlier  of  the  two  have  survived  the 
important  changes  this  region  has  undergone  since  the 
glacial  epoch.  We  have  here  the  present  Syrtensian*  or 
Newfoundland  Banks  fauna  in  its  purity,  without  the 
intermixture  of  the  few  southern  forms  that  have  subse- 
quently encroached  upon  its  limits.  We  shall  below 
show  where  it  shaded  almost  imperceptibly  into  the 
Acadian  fauna,  its  nearest  southern  neighbor  ;  but  now 
we  have  to  determine  its  most  northern  limits. 

Fortunately  MoUer,  in  his  "  Index  Molluscorum 
Gronlandise,"  and  Rink,f  have  noticed  the  few  fossils 


*  We  have  applied  the  term  Syrtensian  to  the  subarctic  assemblage  of  marine 
animals  characterizing  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  the 
coast  of  Southern  Labrador  and  of  Newfoundland.  It  is  a  subdivision  of  the 
Arctic  fauna,  being  in  some  respects  intermediate  between  the  Arctic  and  Bo- 
real faunae. 

f  Udsigt  over  Nordgrcinlands  Geognosi  af  H.  Rink.  Viden.  Selsk.  Skrifter, 
Kjobenhavn,  1853,  p,  96.     The  species  were  identified  by  Dr.  O.  A.  L.  M6rch. 


m 


fill! 


OUATERNARV    FOSSILS. 


335 


or 

the 

bse- 

elow 

the 

now 


which  have  occurred  in  the  Quaternary  clays  of  southern 
Greenland,  a  list  of  which  is  here  given. 

Pecten  islandinis,  My  a  trttncata, 

Leda  mtnuta,  Mya  arenaria, 

Mytilus  ediilis,  Pa7topcra  norvcgica, 

Modiolaria  discors,  Saxicava  arctica, 

A  star  te  semtstilcata  l^Gdich,  Tellina  calcarca, 
Astarte  corrugataVtxoww,    Tellina  fragilis^    (^gronlan- 

dica)y 
Natica  clausa  B.  &  S., 
Littorina  gronlandica, 
Fusus  de  spec  tits  Linn, 
Margarita  glanca. 


Cardium     (  Aphrodite  ) 

grdnlandicuvi, 
Cardium  islandicuni, 
Cryptodon  Jlexuosus, 
Cyrtodaria  siliqiia, 


Ftistis  pracilis  Da  Costa. 

By  reference  to  the  lists  of  fossil  shells  found  in  the 
clays  of  the  New  England  and  Labrador  coasts  it  will  be 
seen  that  during  the  Quaternary  of  the  French  and  Scan- 
dinavian geologists,  or  post-pliocene  period  of  Lyell,  the 
distribution  of  marine  animals  was  governed  by  the  same 
laws  as  at  the  present  day.  In  going  southward  from 
Labrador  to  New  York  the  seas  became  warmer  the  more 
they  came  in  contact  with  the  heated  waters  of  the  Gulf 
Stream,  whose  influence  was  slightly  exerted  on  the 
coast  of  New  England  during  the  glacial  period.  The 
climate  of  New  England  was  not  purely  arctic,  but 
rather  sub-arctic,  where  now  it  is  "  boreal."  While  this 
period  was  characterized  by  the  wide  distribution  of 
what  are  now  purely  arctic  or  circumpolar  species,  there 
were  also  intermingled  boreal  or  Acadian  forms.  Thus 
the  arctic  Leda  arctica,  Pecten  gronlandicus,  Serripes 
gronlandtciis,  Pandorina  arenosa,  and   Fustis   tornatus 


*.      !'-■ 


rzsmm 


iSl 


336 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


i  W'l 

i 

^    '1 

i  fM 

'H 

.    i 

!  H 

||fl 

!  ^- 

m^pK 

^ 

1 

I   •  ■  •  ■ 

■ 

•L, 

were  thcii  widespread  and  most  characteristic  shells  from 
Greenland  to  Portland,  Maine.  The  Leda  especially, 
abounding  in  every  clay  deposit,  has  now  become  wholly 
extinct  south  of  Spitzbergen  and  the  70th  parallel  of 
latitude. 

An  exceedingly  small  percentage,  if  any,  of  the  species 
has  become  wJiolly  extinct,  the  only  instances  occurring  to 
us  being  the  Beluga  vermontana,  about  which  there  must 
be  great  doubt,  since  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  distinguish- 
ing the  fossil  species  of  whales,  it  may  be  the  common 
white  whale  and  the  new  species  of  Fiisiis  (^F.  labra- 
dorcnsis),  and,  possibly,  Bela  robusta,  described  above. 

A  considerable  number  have  become  extinct  in  the 
north  temperate  seas,  owing  to  the  great  changes  in  the 
climatic  conditions.  A  parallel  case  is  shown  in  th 
southward  migration  and  subsequent  extinction  in  Eu- 
rope of  the  musk-ox,  polar  bear,  lemming,  and  other 
quadrupeds  now  confined  mostly  within  the  limits  of  the 
arctic  circle. 

During  the  glacial  period,  or  that  of  the  deposition  of 
the  jlacial  beds  (Leda  clay  of  Dawson),  which  are  un- 
mistakably rewashed  terminal  moraines  left  during  the 
incoming  or  coldest  period  of  the  Quaternary  (when, 
we  have  every  reason  to  believe,  true  glaciers  of  great 
extent  eroded  the  present  river  systems  as  far  south  as 
New  York,  the  southern  limits  of  the  ice  having  been 
indicated  by  Clarence  King,  Prof.  G.  F.  Wrig!  t,  and 
others),  there  was  a  greater  uniformity  than  now  of  the 
climate  ;  but  yet,  as  shown  by  the  distribution  of  animal 
life,  there  was  a  decided  change  from  a  purely  arctic  to 
a  sub-arctic  climate,  from  Greenland  southward. 

At  present,  the  arctic  or  circumpolar  fauna  is  restricted 


the 


heat 
h  as 


an( 


Imal 
ic  to 


cted 


FAUNA    OF   TFIK    P.ANKS. 


337 


to  a  distri'^t  north  of  the  yearly  isothermal  line  of  32°, 
which  thus  includes  the  Arctic-American  Archipelago, 
northern  Greenland,  Spitzbergen,  Nova  Zemhla,  and 
the  coast  of  Siberia.  This  is  a  true  ch'-cimipolar  fauna, 
and  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  Asiatic,  European,  or 
American,  though  members  of  the  group  extend  in  di- 
minished numbers  and  size  down  on  the  Asiatic  coast, 
to  Japan,  as  we  are  informed  by  Dr.  W.  Stimpson  and 
by  P.  P.  Carpenter  in  the  Report  of  the  British  Associ- 
ation for  1856  ;  on  the  European  coast  as  far  as  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  and  on  the  eastern  American  coast 
as  far  as  New  Jersey,  where  the  polar  currents  give,  at 
great  depths,  the  necessary  amount  of  cold  for  their  ex- 
istence. South  of  this  circumpolar  belt  is  a  sub-arctic 
zone  of  life  corresponding  to  the  yearly  isothermal  of 
40°.  This  line  starts  from  near  Cape  Breton  in  North 
America,  and  includes  Iceland,  the  Hebrides,  the  Faroe 
Islands,  Finmark,  and  northern  Norv/ay.  On  the 
American  coast  this  fauna  is  characterized  by  a  small 
number  of  species  not  yet  recorded  as  found  in  the  cir- 
cumpolar district,  which  only  occur  southward  in  the 
Acadian  district  in  diminished  numbers  and  impoverished 
in  size.  This  Syrtensian  fauna  bears  the  same  relations 
to  that  of  the  Acadian  district  as  that  of  Finmark  (judg- 
ing from  the  data  furnished  us  in  the  papers  of  Professor 
Sars)  does  to  that  of  the  Baltic,  North,  and  Scottish 
Seas,  the  boreal  or  Celtic  fauna  of  Forbes,  and  which  is 
the  European  representative  of  the  Acadian  fauna.  We 
have  shown*  that  this  fauna  is  limited  to  Hudson's  Bay, 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  the  northern  cd^st  of  Nevv- 


*  Canadian  Naturalist  and  Geologist,   Dec,  1863.     See  also  the  Proc.   Bost, 
Soc.  Nat.  Hist.,  Jan.  1866,  p.  276. 


1*11! 


Mi 


mi 


■I  ,-i 


■*■■■  • 

■■   *? 
'1. 

.-  ;t 

■ 

"^ 

338 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


M 


r\ 


'  fel^'l 


foundland.  Southward  it  follows  the  line  of  floating  ice, 
which  partially  excludes  Anticosti,  but  includes  both  the 
Grand  Banks  and  those  shoals  lying  to  the  southwest- 
ward  along  the  track  of  the  polar  current,  which  on  the 
coast  of  New  England  flows  between  the  coast  and  the 
inner  edge  of  the  Gulf  Stream  ;  along  this  line  lie  the 
Banks,  off  Nova  Scotia,  and  Maine,  and  Massachusetts, 
together  with  the  St.  George's  Banks  and  the  Nantucket 
Shoals.  Its  influence  is  likewise  felt  as  far  south  as  the 
shoals  lying  off  the  coast  of  New  Jersey.  This  current 
would  even  seem  to  impinge  slightly  upon  the  north 
side  of  Cape  Hatteras,  where  Redfield  supposes  its  final 
influence  to  have  been  felt.  Returning  again  to  the 
shores  of  the  British  colonies,  we  find  this  Skoal  or 
Syrtensian  fauna  most  curio.usly  interwedged  with  the 
Acadian  or  New  England  fauna.  This  is  owing,  with- 
out doubt,  to  the  overlapping  of  the  Gulf  Stream  upon 
the  great  polar  current.  Thus,  while  the  mouth  of  the 
Bay  of  Fundy  is  properly  a  Syrtensian  outlier,  the  head 
of  the  bay,  the  coast  of  New  Brunswick,  the  western 
side  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  the  mouth  of  the  river 
St.  Lawrence  on  its  southern  side,  and  a  small  isolated 
area  on  the  southern  coast  of  Newfoundland,  sheltered 
from  the  polar  current  sweeping  by  Cape  Race,  and  on 
which  a  small  branch  of  the  Gulf  Stream  may  possibly 
impinge,  are  outlying  areas  inhabited  by  species  most 
characteristic  o*"  the  coast  of  New  England  north  of 
Cape  Cod,  constituting  a  fauna  termed  by  Professor 
Dana  the  Nova  Scotian  Fauna,  and  by  Liitken,  the  Aca- 
dian Fauna.  Thus  between  Greenland  and  Cape  Cod 
there  are  two  distinct  faunae  :  the  Acadian,  with  outliers 
situated  north  of  'its  normal  limits,  due  to  the  influence 


FAUNA    OF   THE   BANKS. 


339 


of  the  Gulf  Stream,  or,  perhaps,  to  the  absence  of  the 
polar  current  ;  and  the  Arctic  (Syrtensian  or  Labrador 
fauna),  peopling  the  coast  of  Labrador  and  Newfound- 
land, sending  outliers  far  southwards,  due  to  the  influ- 
ence of  the  polar  current. 

Having  shown  how  these  three  faunae  are  limited  at 
the  present  day,  it  remains  to  notice  how  this  distribu- 
tion differed  in  Quaternary  times.  The  arctic  or  polar 
current  must  have  sent  a  branch  through  the  present 
course  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  into  Lake  Champlain, 
in  a  general  southwestern  direction.  This  current  was 
evidently  a  continuation  of  the  present  Belle  Isle  cur- 
rent, which  even  now  pushes  the  cold  waters  of  the 
Strait  far  up  beyond  the  island  of  Anticosti  beneath  the 
fresh  waters  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River.  It  has  been 
noticed  by  Dr.  Dawson, f  who  has  satisfactorily  shown 
the  effects  of  this  powerful  St.  Lawrence  current,  that 
the  post-tertiary  fauna  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  as  it  has 
been  studied  by  him  at  Montreal,  Riviere  du  Loup,  and 
Quebec,  was  in  all  its  features  purely  Syrtensian,  and 
identical  with  that  of  the  colder  portions  of  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence,  and  especially  the  coast  of  Labrador. 

The  clay  beds  of  Canada  synchronize  and  agree  in 
their  general  features  very  nearly  with  those  of  Maine, 
as  has  been  already  observed  by  Dr.  Dawson.  AH  the 
beds  to  the  eastward  of  the  Saco  River  afford  a  Labra- 
dor fauna.  About  Portland  and  on  the  Saco  River  we 
are,  hov/ever.  on  the  limits  of  the  post-tertiary  Acadian 


^ '  'll 

jfll 

t-l^i 

:ii:!    v:| 

l^.i 


f  Address  of  Principal  Dawson  before  the  Natural  History  Society  of  Mon- 
treal, May,  1864,  published  in  the  Canadian  N'aturalist,  where  he  shows  that  the 
general  southwest  striation  of  the  valley  was  "  from  the  ocean  toward  the  inte- 
rior against  the  slope  of  the  St.  Lawrence  valley."  (p.  9.) 


.i:  ■ 


340 


THE   GEOLOGY   OF  THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


fauna.  Certain  common  Syrtensian  and  purely  arctic 
forms  there  dwindle  in  size  and  diminish  very  sensibly  in 
numbers,  and  a  few  arctic  species  are  replaced  by  Aca- 
dian forms. 

At  Point  Shirley  we  have  good  evidence  of  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Virginian  fauna,  where  Venus  mercenaria 
and  Bticcinuni  plicostim  abound.  This  must  have  been 
the  northern  limits  of  the  fauna  so  well  developed,  as 
noticed  by  Desor,  in  the  beds  of  Nantucket,  where  the 
temperature  of  the  sea  could  have  scarcely  differed  from 
that  of  the  present  period.  The  same  may  be  said  of 
the  post-tertiary  fauna  of  South  Carolina,  and,  from 
what  little  we  know,  of  that  of  Florida,  where  the  heated 
Gulf  Stream  evidently  preserved  the  same  conditions  as 
now,  only  more  checked  in  its  northern  limits  than  at 
present  by  impinging  more  directly  on  a  coast  lined  with 
floating  ice,  as  that  of  Maine  must  have  been  in  post- 
tertiary  times. 

At  such  a  time  the  increased  degree  of  moisture  must 
have  produced  a  much  greater  rainfall,  the  fogs  must  have 
been  of  greater  extent,  and  the  snow  line  must  have  ap- 
proached much  nearer  the  sea,  than  at  present,  on  the 
eastern  coast  of  America,  south  of  lat.  60°,  and  glaciers 
of  great  extent  must  have  surrounded  the  mountains  of 
New  England.  The  land  fauna  and  flora  of  New  Eng- 
land must  have  been  that  of  Labrador.  The  Greenland 
seal  {Phoca  \  Pagopliilus\  groenlandica),  the  Beluga  ver- 
montana,  and  among  plants  the  Potentilla  tridentata 
and  Arenaria  groenlandica  (both  of  which  are  now 
found  in  the  colder  parts  of  the  coast  of  Maine)  must 
have  been  the  characteristic  species.  Remnants  of  such 
a  flora  and  fauna  we  now  behold  on  our  alpine  summits. 


Hi 


ust 
have 
|e  ap- 
the 
ciers 
ns  of 
|Eng- 
iland 
ver- 
^itata 
now 
must 
such 
mits. 


OUR  ALPINE   REMNANTS  OF  THE   LABRADOR   FAUNA.    34I 

On  the  top  of  Mount  Washington,  the  last  five  hundred 
feet  exhibit  a  purely  sub-arctic  or  Labrador  vegetation. 
We  can  scarcely  call  it  arctic,  for  the  dwarf  spruces  and 
firs  are  of  the  same  size  as  in  the  more  unprotected  places 
in  Labrador.  The  same  species  of  weasel  which  abounds 
in  Labrador  we  have  seen  on  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington.  The  insect  fauna  we  must  believe  is  an 
outlier  of  the  Labrador  sub-arctic  assemblage  of  insects, 
though  with  certain  features  of  its  own.  While  some 
Diptera,  Coleoptera,  and  Lepidoptera  are  identical,  cer- 
tain species,  such  as  Chionobas  semidea,  Aroy^inis  mon- 
timis  Scudder,  differ  slightly  from  any  yet  found  in  Lab- 
rador, though  they  may  yet  be  found  farther  north,  or 
may  prove  to  be  local  species,  remnants  of  a  sub-arctic 
fauna  which  peopled  the  surface  of  New  England,  living 
between  the  coast  and  the  snow  line  in  the  interior.  As 
the  line  of  perpetual  snow  retreated  up  the  mountain 
sides,  the  more  hardy  species  followed,  while  many 
others  doubtless  died  in  the  great  changes  of  climate  and 
topography  which  ushered  in  the  historic  period.  As 
there  are  aerial  or  alpine  outliers,  relics  of  this  ancient 
sub-arctic  fauna  and  flora,  so  we  must  consider  the  pres- 
ent abyssal  forms,  and  outliers  of  the  Labrador  marine 
fauna, — such  as  inhabited  the  Banks  of  Nova  Scotia  and 
northern  New  England,  and  the  cold  waters  of  the 
mouth  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy, — as  the  remnants  of  the 
Syrtensian  fauna,  which  during  the  glacial  period  must 
have  been  spread  very  uniformly  over  this  area. 

The  arctic  sea-birds  even  now  breed  upon  the  islands 
in  the  mouth  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  as  they  do  on  the 
coast  of  Labrador.  I  am  told  by  fishermen  that  the 
Puffin,  Mormon  urctica,  used  to  breed  on  Mount  Desert. 


1 1, 


1:1 


jllgi|' 


342 


THE  GEOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


[    ' 


l\  ■' 


U- 


li         ' 


»!( m 


The  A/c(i  impennis  was  probably  a  common  bird,  as  it 
was  once  on  the  shores  of  Scandinavia  and  Scotland  ; 
there  are  rum.ors  extant  among  our  oldest  fishermen  of 
its  having  been  seen  years  ago,  but  within  the  recollec- 
tion of  men  now  living,  as  I  am  informed  by  Professor 
A.  E.  Verrill ;  and  its  bones  have  occurred  in  the  kitch- 
en-middings  of  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  and  of  Massa- 
chusetts at  Ipswich.  It  is  known  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson, 
a  missionary  in  Newfoundland,  to  have  been  common 
less  than  forty  years  ago  about  the  Fogo  Islands,  on  the 
northeastern  shore  of  Newfoundland,  as  I  have  been  in- 
formed by  Mr.  G.  A.  Boardman  of  Calais,  Maine. 
These  birds  represent  the  sub-arctic  avi-fauna  of  New 
England  during  the  later  period  of  the  drift,  and  owe 
their  extinction  possibly  to  the  slow  changes  of  the 
climate,  which  must  have  been  gradually  ameliorating  for 
two  centuries  past  in  the  north  temperate  zone,  but 
more  especially  to  their  destruction  by  man.    • 

All  the  facts  cited  above  must  at  least  tend  to  disprove 
any  theory  of  a  former  tertiary  or  post-tertiary  continental 
connection  between  Europe  and  America.  The  fauna 
and  flora  of  Labrador  during  the  glacial  period  were  too 
distinct,  the  oceanic  currents  could  not  have  allowed 
any  interchange  of  forms,  and  the  great  depth  of  the  sea 
in  Baffin's  Bay  would  have  prevented  such  migrations  as 
Forbes  supposed  to  have  taken  place  from  Europe. 

The  geological  history  of  the  American  continent,  as 
laid  down  so  clearly  by  Professor  Dana  in  the  Proceed- 
ings of  the  American  Association  for  the  Advancement 
of  Science  for  1856,  proves  that  the  different  formations 
were,  during  paleozoic,  mesozoic,  and  tertiary  times, 
built  around  the  granitic  laurentian  nucleus  of   British 


1; 


TlIK  A.MKRICAX  flLACIAL  FAUNA  UNLIKE  TIIK  EUKOPL' AN.    343 


m 


America,  and  gradually  proceeded  southward.  All  the 
tertiary  rocks  form  narrow  strips  of  land  along  the  coast. 
No  well-informed  geologist  can  believe  that  the  tertiary 
strata  formed  continuous  sea-bottoms, — that,  for  instance, 
the  miocene  beds  of  Spitzbergen  were  continuous  with 
those  of  Disco  Island  in  Greenland,  or  that  the  Green- 
land beds  are  apart  of  the  miocene  strata  of  the  Southern 
States.  Equally  unfounded  on  general  geological  prin- 
ciples seems  the  theory  of  a  tertiary  Atlantis,  advanced 
some  years  ago,  especially  by  Heer  and  others,  though 
first  propOb  ^d  by  Forbes,  to  account  for  the  distribution 
of  life  in  the  /.zores  and  the  islands  lying  off  the  mouth 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  In  fact,  the  fauna  as  we  go 
southward  from  the  arctic  zone  becomes  more  and  more 
distinct,  audit  is  probable  that  such  distinctions  obtained 
from  the  earliest  palaeozoic  times.  The  Silurian  fauna 
of  Europe  is  nearly  as  distinct  from  that  of  North 
America  as  the  tertiary  fauna  of  England  and  France  is 
from  that  of  Virginia,  as  in  the  latter  case  insisted  on  by 
Sir  Charles  Lyell  in  the  Quarterly  Journal  of  the  Geo- 
logical Society  for  1845. 

During  glacial  times,  the  cave-bear,  lion,  hyena,  an 
aurochs  were  associated  in   Europe  with   the  musk-ox 
reindeer,  and   polar  bear.     It  cannot   be  said  that  th 
glacial  fauna  of   America  was  derived  by  immigration 
from  Europe,  for  not  a  single  feature  peculiarly  Euro- 
pean in  its  type  is  found  in  our  post-tertiary  beds.     On 
the  other  hand,  the  glacial  fauna  of  northern    Europe 
was   essentially  Arctic-European  or  "  palgearctic."     Be- 
cause  the    musk-ox  is  found  fossil  in  the  turbaries    of 
France  and  gravels  of  Germany,  it  need  not  be  inferred 
that   the  European   fauna  of   that  period  borrowed  an 


!  '  F  M 


m 


iT 


344 


iiiE  geol()(;y  ov  the  Labrador  coast. 


'\ 


M^ 


American  feature.  We  would  rather  suppose  that  the 
former  range  of  the  musk-ox,  a  circumpohir  species,  was 
Arctic-European  as  well  as  American.  In  considering  the 
origin  of  the  llora  of  Labrador,  though  not  possessing  a 
special  knowledge  of  the  botany,  we  would  on  general 
l)rincii)les  venture  to  dissent  from  the  view  of  Dr. 
Hooker,  that  the  flora  of  northeastern  Arctic  America 
is  essentially  Scandinavian  in  its  origin. 

The  flora  of  Labrador,  so  far  as  we  were  enabled  to 
observe,  follows  closely  the  laws  of  distribution  of  the 
land  and  sea  animals  ;  and  any  theory  that  separates  the 
origin  of  the  two  assemblages  cannot  be  in  accordance 
with  the  general  laws  of  the  distribution  of  life,  be  it 
plant  or  animal,  over  the  surface  of  the  globe.  The 
fauna  of  Australasia  is  no  less  peculiar  than  its  flora  ; 
the  flora  of  Brazil  is  characterized  by  its  peculiar  tropical 
American  forms,  just  as  the  fauna  is  circumscribed  by 
peculiar  features.  So  we  must  believe  that  the  origin  of 
the  Arctic- European  and  Arctic-American  and  Arctic- 
Asiatic  floras  and  faunas  was  distinct  from  the  outset,  and 
that  they  have  never  borrowed,  by  extensive  inter-conti- 
nental migrations,  each  other's  peculiar  characteristics. 
As  we  have  observed  in  regard  to  the  animals,  there  are 
a  very  large  proportion  of  arctic  plants  spread  over  the 
whole  arctic  zone,  which  cannot  be  said  to  be  American 
any  more  than  European  or  Asiatic,  but  simply  circum- 
polar.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  small  percentage  of 
which  the  reverse  is  true,  and  this  is  paralleled  among  the 
animals. 

Sir  J.  D.  Hooker,  in  his  elaborate  essay  on  the  Dis- 
tribution of  Arctic  Plants  in  the  Linnean  Transactions 
for  1 86 1,  accounts  for  the  greater  richness  of  the  flora  of 


DIS'IRIUUTION    ()!•    ARCllC    I'LAMS. 


345 


Lapland  over  that  of  other  arctic  regions  by  the  blend- 
ing of  warm  and  cold  currents  of  air  and  water,  and  its 
great  diversity  of  mountains  and  lowlands  ;  while  on  the 
broad  plains  of  Siberia  and  the  level  plateau  of  Labrador 
there  is  the  greatest  uniformity  of  climate,  and  hence  a 
corresponding  paucity  of  plants. 

The  same  climatic  conditions  determine  the  distribu- 
tion of  marine  life.  As  we  go  from  Norway  to  Green- 
land the  number  of  species  lessens  greatly.  Dr.  Liitken, 
in  his  admirable  View  of  the  Echinoderms  of  Green- 
land, shows  that  the  fauna  is  essentially  Arctic-American 
rather  than  European.  It  is  so  with  the  other  radiates, 
and  the  articulate  and  molluscan  fauna,  and  the  fish 
fauna  would  seem  to  follow  the  same  law. 

Dr.  Hooker  cites  fifty-seven  species  of  plants  which 
do  not  cross  from  Greenland  to  America.  This  is  par- 
alleled by  the  apparent  restriction  of  a  few  species  of 
marine  invertebrates  to  the  high  polar  seas,  such  as  the 
Leda  trtuicata  and  Pcctcn  gnvnlavidicus,  though  in  gla- 
cial times  they  abounded  in  northeastern  America. 

Among  the  most  purely  Arctic-American  plants  are 
the  Potentilla  tridcntata,  which  is  abundant  in  Green- 
land and  which  we  have  collected  in  profusion  in  Lab- 
rador, Maine,  and  on  the  White  Mountains  ;  also  the 
Arenaria  grcenlandica,  which  is  more  thoroughly  arctic, 
preferring  the  coldest  spots  on  the  outer  islands  of  the 
coast  of  Labrador,  and  the  alpine  summit  of  Mount 
Washington,  and  which  has  even  been  detected  on  Cape 
Elizabeth,  Me. 

These  two  plants — which  Dr.  Hooker  acknowledges 
liave  never  occurred  elsewhere  on  the  globe  within  the 
historic  period — -he  supposes  were  originally  from  Scan- 


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346 


rilK   GEOLOGY   OF   THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


dinavia,  though  they  have  never  l)een  found  in  Europe. 
By  this  mode  of  reasoning  we  might  just  as  well  imagine 
the  clam,  Afya  arcnaria,  to  have  been  derived  originally 
from  Europe,  or  the  bison  to  have  been  derived  from 
the  aurochs  of  Europe.  The  presence  of  such  charac- 
teristic Arctic-American  forms  in  Greenland  must  de- 
stroy our  confidence  In  the  supposed  identity  of  the 
Greenland  flora  with  that  of  Lapland,  for  there  are 
strong  grounds  for  regarding  the  flora  of  Greenland  as 
arctic  and  circumpolar  simply,  rather  than  European- 
Arctic,  and  that  on  either  side  the  Hora  becomes  more 
strongly  either  American  or  European,  as  we  go  west- 
ward or  eastward  of  Greenland.* 

When,  following  the  line  of  the  yearly  isothermal  of 
32°,  we  go  to  the  southward  on  either  side  of  the  At- 
lantic, we  find  warm  and  cold  currents  of  air  and  water 
intermingling,  and  thus  producing  much  greater  diver- 
sity of  climate  than  in  Greenland.  While  the  Gulf 
Stream  abuts  directly  upon  Scandinavia,  some  of  its 
effects  are  felt  in  Newfoundland  and  Labrador.  Both 
lands  are  continental,  and  shade  into  temperate  regions. 
There  is  a  very  perfect  correspondence  in  the  geology 
and  distribution  of  the  formations,  and  hence,  as  Hooker 
observes,  there  are  a  large  number  (230)  of  plants, 
common  to  Labrador  and  Scandinavia,  which  do  nol 
occur  in  Greenland.  This  is  parallelled  very  exactly  in 
the  distribution  of  animal  life.  In  the  seas  of  Labrador 
and  Newfoundland  are  found  forms  derived  from  the 
more  temperate  seas  of  New  England,  as  on  the  coast  of 


*  In  a  paper  by  Eug.  Warming  in  Engler's  JahrbUcher,  x.  1889,  on  the  flora 
of  Greenland,  the  author  concludes  that  Greenland  is  not  a  European  province 
bill  has  nearer  relations  to  America.     {Nature,  May  30,  1S89.     p.  117.) 


DISTRIBUTION   O.-    A;ICTIC   PLANTS. 


347 


Norway  many  forms  occur  which  are  derived  from  the 
British  seas,  and  are  even  found  as  far  south  as  the 
Mediterranean.  These  serve  greatly  to  swell  the  lists. 
In  fact  the  facies  of  the  flora  of  Lahrador  is  sub-arctic 
and  by  no  means  purely  arctic,  as  is  that  of  Greenland. 
Explained  in  this  way  the  flora  of  Greenland  seems  to 
us  no  more  anomalous  than  its  colder  climate  and  re- 
moteness from  sub-arctic  lands,  isolated  as  it  ever  has 
been  by  deep  seas  and  powerful  oceanic  currents  of  dif- 
ferent temperatures,  which,  we  must  believe,  served 
from  very  early  times  as  barriers  against  the  comming- 
ling of  more  temperate  forms  of  life  with  purely  circum- 
polar  species. 

There  is,  in  our  view,  no  reason  to  believe  that  the 
glacial  period,  as  some  writers  have  suggested,  has 
shifted  from  the  eastern  to  the  western  hemisphere,  or 
vice  versd ;  for  the  same  causes  which  brought  on  the 
cold  period  were  evidently  common  to  the  arctic  and 
sub-arctic  regions  throughout  their  whole  extent,  though 
governed  greatly  by  the  present  distribution  of  the  iso- 
thermal lines.  That  the  drift  deposits  were  laid  down 
contemporaneously  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  seems 
proved  by  such  facts  as  this  :  that  Ledaarctica  (/,.  port- 
landicci),  more  than  any  other  shell  characteristic  of  the 
drift  deposits  of  the  northern  portions  of  America  and 
Europe,  has  become  alike  extinct  both  in  Scandinavia 
and  its  equivalent,  Labrador,  Canada,  and  New  Eng- 
land. 

The  break  in  the  glacial  beds — which  by  Sars*  (in 
which  he  closely  follows  D'Archiac)  are  divided  into  an 


*  Cm  de  i  Norge  forekommende  fossile  Dyrelevninger  fra  yuartaerperioden, 
etc.;  af  M.  Bars,  Christiania,  1S65. 


\ 

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348 


THK  (JKOI.OGV  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


earlier  Quaternary  or  "j^/ac/a/"  formation,  from  which 
few  fossils  have  been  taken,  and  those  purely  arctic  in 
character,  and  the  more  recent  beds,  "  post-glacial," 
resting  upon  them,  containing  a  great  influx  of  boreal  or 
sub-arctic  and  some  Lusitanico-Mediterranean  species — 
does  not  seem  so  distinctly  marked  in  northeastern 
America  as  in  Europe.  In  southern  England  the  able 
researches  of  Mr.  Searles  V.  Wood,  Jun.,  enable  this 
writer  to  '*  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  the  widesj^rcad 
bowlder  clay  of  England  is  wholly  distinct  from  the 
older,  but  partially  developed  drift  of  the  Cromer  coast. 
That  conclusion  was  arrived  at  by  the  minute  examina- 
tion of  more  than  eight  thousand  square  miles  of  the 
eastern  portion  of  England,  and  the  grounds  for  it  were 
submitted  to  geologists  in  a  detailed  map  of  the  drift 
beds  over  the  whole  of  that  area,  with  copious  sections. 
It  was  thus  that  I  acquired  the  opinion  which  induces 
me  to  deny,  as  I  do,  '  that  we  have  yet  any  evidence  of 
any  general  submergence  at  the  incoming  of  the  glacial 
period,  far  less  of  repeated  oscillations  of  submergence 
and  emergence.'  .  .  .  Now  although  I  have  endeavored 
to  show  that  on  the  east  coast  of  England  four  oscilla- 
tions of  climate  have  occurred  since  the  incidence  of  the 
glacial  period,  viz.  :  first,  the  extreme  cold  of  the  Cromer 
drift  when  the  country  except  a  part  of  Norfolk  was 
land  ;  second,  the  ameliorated  climate  of  the  sand  and 
gravel  series,  which  overlies  that  drift  unconformably. 
and  partially  underlies  the  bowlder  clay  ;  third,  the  re- 
turn of  cold  with  the  extensive  submergence  which  in- 
troduced the  widespread  formation  of  bowlder  clay  ; 
and  fourth,  the  return  to  sand  and  gravel  conditions, 
with  the  elevation  and  denudation  of  that  clay  and  the 


THE   BOWLDKR   CLAY. 


349 


)nier 


introduction  of  the  post-glacial  scries — yet  the  oscilla- 
tions of  climate  during  the  tertiary  period  begin  as  well 
as  end  with  these." — The  Reader,  London,  1865,  p.  466. 

Having  the  grand  outlines  of  this  formation  thus 
mapped  out  for  us,  it  remains  for  geologists  in  this  coun- 
try to  see  how  far  the  parallel  can  be  carried  out  in 
America.  There  is  as  yet  ev^erythmg  to  be  learned  of 
the  lowest  and  oldest  bowlder  clay  of  the  coast  of  Maine  ; 
to  ascertain  how  far  it  is  conformable  with  the  brickyard 
clays  of  the  uplands,  and  whether  there  is  an  overlying 
bed  of  sand  such  as  the  sheets  of  sand  resting  every- 
where on  the  upper  bowlder  clay.  At  present  there 
have  been  revealed  no  signs  of  this  lower  bed  of  sand 
clay,  and  the  lowest  clay  beds  we  are  acquainted  with 
seem  to  graduate  into  the  rewashed,  more  inland,  and 
more  recent  bowlder  or  brickyard  clays. 

In  adopting  the  term  Quaternary  Period,  we  would 
use  it  in  the  amended  sense  proposed  by  D'Archiac  in 
1848,  in  his  "  Histoire  des  Progres  de  la  Gdologie." 
From  his  able  review  of  all  the  prime  characteristics  so 
trenchantly  dividing  this  period  from  the  Pliocene  Ter- 
tiary, we  are  led  with  that  author  to  consider  this  period 
as  rather  equivalent  to  the  Tertiary  as  a  whole,  than  to 
either  of  its  three  subdivisions  ;  and  rather  as  the  begin- 
ning of  a  new  epoch  or  period,  than  the  close  of  the 
Tertiary.  The  distinctions,  as  shown  by  D'Archiac,  ob- 
tain no  less  in  the  tropics  than  in  the  high  latitudes.  In 
tropical  America  the  period  is  marked  off  from  the  Ter 
tiary  by  the  appearance  of  the  great  mammals,  the  Her- 
bivores characterizing  the  formation  in  America,  and  the 
great  Carnivores  the  deposit  of  the  Eastern  hemisphere. 
About  the  Mediterranean    the   Tertiary   Period  closed 


^T 


II 


in,    : 


i:V 


[  I  'I 


if 


i-i 


350 


iiiK  (;i;oLoc]v  of  tiik  larkadou  coast. 


witli  the  upheaval  or  the  Sul)-Aj)cnnincs  of  Italy,  or  Alps 
of  X'alais. 

Professor  Dana,  in  his  "  Manual  of  Geology,"  states 
further  important  clistinetions,  such  as  the  rise  of  land  in 
the  high  latitudes  which  had  not  before  taken  place  since 
PaltL'OZoic  times,  ushering  in  the  period  of  great  glaciers, 
and  thus  serving,  over  one  half  of  the  surface  of  the 
globe,  to  further  separate  this  epoch  from  the  Tertiary. 

Another  feature  of  this  j)eriod  is  the  great  uniformity 
of  climate  ovv.r  broad,  continental  areas,  and  the  wide 
distribution  in  space  of  certain  species  most  characteristic 
of  the  Quaternary  Formation,  Such  are  the  occurrence, 
on  both  hcmis|)heres,  of  the  musk-ox,  the  Siberian  mam- 
moth (^Ii.  prinn'ocn/iis),  and,  among  marine  mollusca,  of 
Lcda  arctica  Gray.  Sars  {portlandica),  which  is  now  re- 
stricted to  the  circumpolar  seas. 

Gnieral  Conclusions. — To  account  for  all  the  facts 
which  have  been  developed  above,  v.e  must  assume, — 

1.  That  the  northern  portion  of  iNorth  America,  thai 
is,  the  boreal  and  arctic  regions,  stood  at  a  much  higher 
level  above  the  sea  than  now.  We  have  given  good 
evidence  that  it  stood  at  least  three  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  above  that  level  in  Labrador.  It  would  be  safe  to 
assume  that  the  coast  line  stood  at  an  elevation  not  fall- 
ing short  of  six  hundred  feet.  While  this  increase  in  the 
height  of  the  land  would  not  materially  change  the 
physiognomy  of  the  continent  north  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
'  River  and  Gulf,  where  the  tableland  rises  abruptly  from 
the  ocean  as  in  the  arctic  regions  ;  it  would  effect  a 
great  alteration  in  the  distribution  of  dry  land  south  of 
the  parallel  of  50°  N.  Should  all  the  present  sea-bottom 
lying  within  the  limits  of  the  depth  of   one    hundred 


\  s 


Till".    I.KbA    (   I.AV 


351 


latlioms  Ik'  thus  raisL-d,  the  viiilf  ul  vSt.  Lawrence  would 
be  represented  l)y  a  river  deha,  one  mouth  in  the  Straits 
of  Belle  Isle,  the  other  flowing  out  between  Cape  Bre- 
ton and  Cape  Ray.  All  the  submarine  j)lateau.\,  such 
as  the  Grand  Bank  of  Newfoundland,  and  the  banks  ly- 
ing off  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia,  Maine,  and  Caj)e  Cod, 
would  l)e  elevated  above  the  sea,  and  probably  form 
broad  plains.  Thus  the  effects  on  the  distribution  of 
life  would  essentially  differ  from  those  of  the  region 
north  of  50'  N.  Such  a  rise  and  enlarged  area  of  land 
would,  as  has  been  stated  by  physicists,  produce  an  ex- 
tension southward  of  an  extreme  arctic  temi)erature. 
While  the  climate  would  be  greatly  lowered,  we  still 
have  added  the  j)roximity  of  Lhe  Gulf  Stream,  as  evi- 
denced by  the  temperate  rather  than  arctic  fauna  of  the 
glacial  beds  of  New  York  and  Nantucket,  and  the  more 
tropical  assemblage  of  South  Carolina.  Such  a  blending 
of  hot  and  cold  currents  of  air  and  water  must  have  pro- 
duced <"vcn  more  fogs  and  a  much  greater  rainfall  than 
now,  to  feed  the  enormous  glaciers  which  moved  into  the 
sea  from  off  the  principal  watc-sheds. 

II.  Leda  Clay. — There  was  a  gradual  change  of  level 
in  the  .sea.  At  the  close  of  the  glacial  j)eriod  the  snow 
line  gradually  receded  from  the  coast,  and  the  glaciers 
retreated  to  the  mountains.  During  the  slow  and  gen- 
tle submergence  of  the  land  ushering  in  this  epoch,  the 
crude  moraine  matter  was  sorted  into  beds  of  regularly 
stratified  clays  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  feet  in 
thickness.  The  lowest  beds  consequently  are  the  most 
ancient,  as  is  also  evidenced  by  the  greater  prevalence  of 
arctic  forms.  During  this  time  the  sea  was  filled  with 
floating  ice,  as  at  present  on  the  Labrador  coast,  and  the 


m 


352 


Tin:    (JKOLOGV    OF   THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


M' 


great  polar  or  Labrador  current  exerted  its  full  power. 
The  temperature  being  so  even  throughout  the  northern 
hemis[)heres  of  the  globe,  there  was  a  great  uniformity 
in  the  distribution  of  life,  and  certain  species  enjoyed  a 
wide  distribution  where  now  they  are  restricted  to  com- 
paratively narrow  areas.  Toward  the  close  o^  this  period 
the  Greenland  seal,  the  walrus,  and  the  Vermont  whale 
(^Beluga  l^crmontand),  flourished.  The  Age  of  great 
Mammals  dated  from  this  early  period.  An  arctic  fauna 
and  flora  inhabited  the  coast  between  the  sea  and  the 
low  snow  line,  and  the  flora  and  fauna  which  are  now 
found  only  on  our  alpine  heights,  or  in  cold,  isolated 
spots  on  the  coast  of  Maine  and  the  northern  lakes,  then 
peopled  the  surface  of  New  England  and  Canada.  All 
the  biological  features  of  this  epoch  partook  of  an  inter- 
mixture of  the  boreal  and  arctic  faunas  and  floras  that 
are  now  more  distinctly  circumscribed  into  narrower 
areas. 

We  have  no  evidence  of  an  intercontinental  commu- 
nication with  Europe  during  this  period.  Then,  as  now, 
there  was  a  local  facies  imprinted  on  those  animals 
whose  remains  have  survived,  exhibiting  the  same  fauna! 
distinctions,  and  even  more  strongly  marked  than  now. 

The  close  of  this  period  was  signalized  by  a  great 
amelioration  of  climate,  by  broad  areas  of  marine  clays 
finely  laminated,  and  having  more  sand  and  loam  inter- 
mixed than  in  the  lowest  and  oldest  beds.  This  was  the 
'  transition  from  a  period  of  broad  estuaries,  and,  at  a  late 
stage,  of  shallow  seas,  to  the  next  epoch  of  a  secular 
emergence.     It  ushered  in  the — 

III.  Period  of  raised  Beaches  (Saxicava  Sands).  This 
necessarily  implies  a  great  denudation  of  the  glacial  clays 


THE  TERRACE   EPOCH. 


353 


lunal 
»o\v. 
rreal 
I  clays 
iintei- 


|a  lau" 
jculai 


This 
Iclays 


The  rolled,  sea-worn  bowlders,  shingle  and  sand,  com- 
posing the  mass  of  the  ancient  osars  and  beach  deposits, 
now  found  at  all  heights  from  the  sea-level  to  those  of 
five  hundred  or  six  hundred  feet,  are  derived  from  the 
resorting  of  the  moraines.  We  thus  find  that  the  high- 
est beaches  are  the  oldest,  and  the  most  recent,  those 
just  above  the  ocean  level.  The  temperature  of  the  sea 
did  not  differ  greatly  from  that  of  the  present  day.  Dur- 
ing the  epoch  the  present  distribution  of  the  faunae  now 
inhabiting  the  temperate  and  arctic  zones  was  estab- 
lished, and  since  then  but  little  change  has  taken  place. 
The  fresh-water  shells  found  about  the  Niagara  River 
and  other  deposits  in  Canada,  were,  so  far  as  we  know, 
introduced  at  this  time.  Those  shells  found  in  beach 
deposits  on  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  from  four  hundred 
to  five  hundred  feet  above  the  present  level  of  the  river, 
show  that  but  little  change  has  taken  place  in  the  climatic 
relations  of  the  land  or  in  the  distribution  of  the  animals 
depending  on  such  relations.  It  is  evident  that  the 
Acadian  fauna,  once  restricted  to  the  regions  south  of 
the  Saco  River,  during  this  epoch  crept  up  the  coast  of 
Maine,  extended  itself  along  the  western  shores  of  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  prevailed  in  the  St.  Lawrence 
River,  and  the  broad  estuary  now  represented  by  Lake 
Champlain. 

The  close  of  this  period  witnessed  the  surface  of  New 
England  covered  by  broad  lakes  and  ponds,  with  vast 
rivers  and  extensive  estuaries,  with  deep  fiords  cutting 
up  the  coast-line.  Its  sc3nic  features  must  have  resem- 
bled those  of  Labrador  at  the  present  day. 

IV.  T/ie  Terrace  Epoch.  The  estuaries  and  deep 
bays  left   beach   deposits  of  sand  and  shingle,  resulting 


.;   t 


s    ' 


354 


THK   (iE()LO(;V    OF   TIIK    LABRADOR    COAST, 


from  the  drainage  of  the  slowly  rising  continent.  All 
the  terraces  are  unconformable  to  the  marine  sands 
underlying  them,  though  the  highest  terraces  farthest 
from  the  coast  may  have  been  forming  while  the  more 
recent  sea-beaches  were  being  dej)osited  by  the  action  of 
the  waves  and  tide.  Thus  the  early  part  of  the  Lake 
period  is  synchronous  with  the  latter  part  of  the  Beach 
period.  So  also  the  lower  strata  of  the  Leda  clays  were 
laid  down  during  the  deposition  of  the  oldest  beaches, 
causing  a  constant  inosculation  of  these  unconformable 
deposits,  and  thus  the  beginning  of  one  epoch  overlaps 
the  close  of  the  previous  one. 


<■'  ) 


1. 


I  if""  •  i  I 


Hi,  i 


i- 


n 


CHAPTER  XV. 


IIIK  /ooI.UdV   OK  THE   I.AIiKAIXJK  CDASl', 


VViiiM':  the  zoology  of  the  interior  and  western  j)or- 
tions  of  the  Labrador  peninsula  is  un(loiil)te(lly  lii<e  that 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  district  and  the  cooler  portions  of 
Canada,  as  well  as  northern  Maine  and  New  Hampshire, 
it  presents  quite  different  features  on  the  treeless  |)or- 
tions  of  the  coast,  and  on  the  outer  islands.  There,  the 
fauna,  as  a  whole,  is  closely  allied  to  that  of  southern 
Greenland,  and  is  remarkably  free  from  the  "boreal" 
forms  ranginf^  throughout  British  America.  Indeed 
the  insects  and  mollusksare  in  many  cases  identical  with 
those  of  Greenland,  as  are  the  climatic,*  topographic, 
and  general  geological  features  of  the  coast.  Did  the 
mountains  of  Labrador  rise  above  the  snow  line,  where 
now  they  just  reach  its  lower  limits,  and  were  the  rain 
fall  slightly  greater,  glaciers  would  undoubtedly  exist, 
running  down  the  fiords  into  the  sea,  as  they  do  north  of 
Hudson's  Strait,  and  we  should  perhaps  have  a  nearly 
perfect  correspondence  between  the  Atlantic  slope  of 
northern  Labrador  and  that  portion  of  Greenland  lying 
between  the  6oth  and  70th  parallels  of  latitude. 

On  the  outer  islands,  lining  the  coast  for  nearly  forty 
or  fifty  miles  deep,  in  the  vicinity  of  Hopedale,  the  birds, 


*The  mean  annual  temperature  of  Hopedale  in  lat.  55°  35'  "is  certainly  not 
higher  than  26°  Fahr."     Ball's  Notes  of  a  Naturalist  in  South  America,  p.  273. 

355 


■^    i 


«••: 


r 


V'l 

1 

I  : 

! 

1 

:     . 

'    1 
1 

v  ■      '■ 

I 

1 

1'^ 

;5^> 


THE   ZOULOOV   OF   TIIK   LAHKAUoK   COAST. 


insects,  land  sliclls  and  the  ve^L'tation,  present  an  almost 
purely  circuni|)()lar  character.  Thus  certain  huttertlies 
and  moths  lirsl  discovered  i;)  hi,<:h  latitutes  are  very 
al)undant  about  Ilopedale  and  southward,  also  occurinj^; 
on  the  alpine  summits  of  the  White  mountains  and  ol 
the  Rocky  mountains,  and  certain  of  them  even  fre- 
(juentinj^  the  Al|>s  of  Switzerland,  the  mountains  of 
Scandinavia  and  the  summits  of  the  Altai  mountains  in 
northeastern  Asia. 

It  is  this  mingled  circumpolar  and  boreal  fauna  whicU 
composed  that  assemblage  of  life-forms,  which  peopled 
New  England  and  the  extreme  northern  states,  us  well  as 
Canada,  during  the  glacial  period  and  which  as  the  ice 
waned,  migrating  northward,  was  gradually  driven  to- 
wards the  north  pole,  though  still  lingering  on  the  ali)inc 
summits,  and  on  the  treeless  barrens  of  Labrador.  These 
l»leak,  bare  tracts,  including  many  thousand  S(juare  miles 
of  islands  lining  the  Labrador  coast,  agree  in  their  vege- 
tation and  animal  life  with  similar  tracts  and  islands  in 
latitudes  70"  to  80°  N.  This  is  due  to  the  cold  Labra- 
dor current,  and  to  the  immense  fields  of  lloating  ice, 
nearlv  filling  up  the  channels  and  friths  between  these 
islands  throughout  the  entire  short  summer  of  six  weeks, 
thus  greatly  reducing  the  temperature,  while  in  Novem- 
ber the  bays  and  inlets  freeze  up  solid  until  the  following 
June. 

Indeed  the  Labrador  peninsula  with  its  varied  physi- 
cal features  affords  admirable  examples  of  the  influence 
of  the  environment  on  animal  and  plant  life.  The  com- 
plete harmony  which  exists  between  the  organisms,  bolli 
terrestrial  and  marine,  and  their  surroundings,  is  evidently 
the  result  of  their  adaption  to  the  arctic  or  the  subarctic 


If  h 


THE   WHITE    BEAR. 


357 


nature  of  their  habitats.  The  peninsula  stands  out  in  tiie 
Athintic  ocean,  boundcl  on  the  north  hv  the  jjohn  si-a 
and  lands,  with  their  float ini»;  ice,  p^lacii'rs,  and  frozen 
soil.  I*ast  the  Atlantic  shores  of  tiie  peninsula  sweeps  the 
broad,  deep,  and  powerfid  Labrador  or  polai  current .  bear- 
ing on  its  surface  through  tiie  spring  and  summer  months, 
and  about  Hudson's  Strait,  in  certain  years,  throuiihout 
the  autumn,  a  mass  of  float inj^-  ice  about  loo.ooo  s(|uare 
miles  in  extent.  Hence  the  mean  annual  t('m|>eralure 
is,  on  the  coast,  especial!;  '>n  the  promontories  and 
islands,  as  low  as  that  of  soutlicrn  (Ircenland. 

In  my  first  published  r'-marks  on  ♦be  occuruiice  of 
the  white  bear  in  Labrauor,  where  it  is  sometimes  called 
the  "water  bear,"  in  distineiiiui  from  the  black  bear, 
which  is  very  common  on  that  coast,  i  then  suj)posed 
that  the  polar  bear  was  a  stra«»<2:Ier  from  Iludson's  or 
Haffm'sbays.  rather  by  accident  than  otherwise,  ai  rare  in- 
tervals breeding  so  far  south  as  Labrador.  Hut  on  look- 
ing over  the  accounts  of  the  earlv  discoverers  and  navi- 
gators, as  well  as  Cartwright's  "Journal,"  I  am  led  to 
materially  alter  my  opinion  and  to  suppose  that  ihe  for- 
mer limits  of  this  creature  extended  even  possibly  as  far 
south  as  Casco  bay,  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 

Whether  there  are  any  notices  of  or  references  to  the 
white  bear  in  the  records  and  sagas  of  the  Norsemen 
who  visited  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  and  Nova  Scotia, 
we  are  unable  to  say.  White  bears  were,  however,  seen 
by  the  first  English  navigator  who  discovered  our  shores, 
the  intrepid  Venetian,  John  Cabot,  then  sailing  under 
an  English  flag.  The  following  reference  to  white  bears 
appears  in  an  extract  from  an  inscription  on  the  map  of 
Sebastian  Cabot  in  Hakluyt's  Voyages  (iii.  27)  : 


■Hygll 


IftNr 


Ill  lit 


'I-  ' 


358 


THK  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


"  In  the  yeere  of  our  Lord  1497  lohn  Cal)Ot,  a  Vene- 
tian, and  his  sonne  Sebastian  (with  an  English  fleet  set 
out  from  Bristol!)  discouered  that  which  no  man  before 
that  time  had  attempted,  on  the  24th  of  lune,  about  five 
of  the  clock  early  in  the  morning.  This  land  he  called 
Prima  vista,  that  is  to  say.  First  scene,  because  as  I  sup- 
pose it  was  that  point  whereof  they  had  the  first  sight 
from  sea.  That  Island  which  lieth  out  before  the  land, 
he  called  the  island  of  S.  lohn  vpon  this  occasion,  as  1 
thinke,  because  it  was  discouered  vpon  the  day  of  lohn 
the  Baptist.  The  inhabitants  of  this  Island  vse  to  weare 
beast  skinnes,  and  have  them  in  as  great  estimation  as 
we  have  our  finest  garments.  In  their  warres  they  vse 
bowes,  arrowes,  pikes,  darts,  wooden  clubs  and  slings. 
The  soil  is  barren  in  some  places,  andyieldeth  litle  fruit, 
but  it  is  full  of  white  beares,  and  stagges  far  greater  than 
ours." 

This  account  shows  quite  conclusively  that  John 
Cabot's  Prima  Vista  was  some  point  of  land  in  eastern  or 
northern  Newfoundland.  The  eminent  geographer,  Dr, 
J.  G.  Kohl,  in  his  History  of  the  Discovery  of  Maine, 
seems  fully  peri^uaded  that  the  landfall  of  John  Cabot 
was  Labrador.  But  if  the  inscription  and  map  are  gen- 
uine, the  description  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  island,  both 
men  and  beasts,  would  better  apply  to  those  of  the  east- 
ern or  southern  Newfoundland.  The  human  beings 
were  more  probably  red  Indians  than  Eskimo.  On  the 
Labrador  coast  the  soil  is  ''barren"  in  all  places,  while 
the  "  stagges  far  greater  than  ours"  may  have  been  the 
moose,  which  does  not  inhabit  the  Labrador  coast. 
Whether  the  "white  beares"  were  the  polar  bears  or  a  pale 
variety  of  the  barren-ground  bear  of  Sir  John  Richard- 


lit 


THE    WHITE    BEAR. 


359 


n  or 
Dr. 
line, 
abot 
gen- 
oth 
least- 
ings 
the 
hile 
the 
loast. 
pale 
ard- 


son  is  somewhat  uncertain.  We  should  have  unhesitat- 
ingly referred  the  creature  to  the  polar  bear,  were  it  not 
that  in  Parmenius'  account  of  Newfoundland,  published 
in  1583,  it  is  said  :  "  Bears  also  appear  about  the  fishers' 
stages  of  the  countrey,  and  are  sometimes  killed,  but  they 
seeme  to  be  white,  as  I  coniectured  by  their  skinnes, 
and  somewhat  lesse  then  ours."     (Hakluyt.) 

The  next  explorer  of  this  coast  was  Cortereal  who,  in 
1500,  landed  on  the  Newfoundland  coast,  at  or  probably 
near  Cape  Race.  In  an  old  Portuguese  map  of  about 
the  year  1520  is  a  long  Latin  inscription,  thus  translated 
by  Kohl,  a  part  of  which  we  copy  :  "  This  country  was 
first  discovered  by  Caspar  Cortereal,  a  Portuguese,  and 
he  brought  from  there  wild  and  barbarous  men  and  white 
bears.  There  are  to  be  found  in  it  plenty  of  animals, 
birds  and  fish."  The  land  from  which  Cortereal  brought 
the  white  bears  was  evidently  the  same  as  that  in  which 
he  kidnapped  fifty-seven  of  the  aborigines.  These  were 
Indians  and  not  Eskimo,  and  must  have  been  the  inhabi- 
tants either  of  Newfoundland  or  of  Nova  Scotia,  for  a  per- 
son who  saw  them  in  the  streets  of  Lisbon  described  them 
"as  tall,  well-built,  and  admirably  fit  for  labor."  That, 
however,  they  were  the  aborigines  of  Newfoundland, 
perhaps  Bethuks,  seems  proved  by  the  fact  that  a  num- 
ber of  white  bears  were  also  captured  and  sent  to  Spain 
with  them.  From  these  facts  it  seems  reasonable  to  infer 
that  the  white  or  polar  bear  was  a  resident  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  Newfoundland. 

The  next  navigator  to  explore  these  seas  was  Jacques 
Cartier,  who  arrived  May  loth,  1534,  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  Newfoundland.  To  this  observing  seaman  we 
owe  our  first  accounts  of  the  great  auk  or  "  penguin"  on 


__ii 


m 


nl 


.  t' 


lit 


I 


■  i  1  ■  ; 


» ( 


m 


360 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


the  Island  of  Birds,  now  Funk  or  Fogo  Island,  on  the 
northeastern  coast  of  Newfoundland  ;  also  of  the  Bird 
rocks  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

While  harboring  at  what  is  now  Funk  Island,  Cartier, 
after  describing  the  great  auks,  tells  us  that  he  saw  a 
white  bear.  In  his  own  language,  done  into  quaint 
English  by  Hakluyt  :  "And  albeit  the  sayd  Island  be 
14  leagues  from  the  maineland,  notwithstanding  beares 
come 'swimming  thither  to  eat  of  the  sayd  birds  :  and 
our  men  found  one  there  as  great  as  any  cow,  and  as 
white  as  any  swan,  who  in  their  presence  leapt  into  the 
sea,  and  upon  Whitsun-monday  (following  our  voyage 
towards  the  land)  we  met  her  by  the  way,  swimming 
toward  land  as  swiftly  as  we  could  saile.  So  soone  as 
we  saw  her,  we  pursued  her  with  our  boats,  and  by  maine 
strength  tooke  her,  whose  flesh  was  as  goode  to  be  eaten 
as  the  flesh  of  a  calfe  two  yeres  olde." 

From  this  graphic  and  circumstantial  account  we  feel 
sure  that  this  was  the  great  white  or  polar  bear  {^Ursns 
maritinms)  ;  that  it  reached  its  full  size,  was  not  uncom- 
mon on  the  mainland  (John  Cabot  says  the  land  was 
"  full"  of  them),  and  that  it  bred  there,  as  those  men- 
tioned by  Parmenius  in  1583  were  probably  young  ones. 

The  white  bear  is  still  occasionally  seen  on  this  coast, 
as  Rev.  Mr.  Harvey  states  :*  "The  seal  hunters  occasion- 
ally encounter  the  white  or  polar  bear  on  the  ice  off  the 
coast,  and  sometimes  it  has  been  known  to  land." 

Now,  if  in  these  early  times  of  Cabot  and  Cartier  the 
eastern  coast  of  Newfoundland  was  the  habitat  and 
breeding  place  of  the  polar  bear,  it  is  not  unlikely  that 

*  Halton  and  Harvey's  Newfoundland,  Boston,  1883,  p.  193. 


THE   WHITE   BEAR. 


361 


)m- 


len- 


ast, 


the 


the 

land 

:hat 


it  occasionally  might  have  visited,  as  we  know  the  walrus 
did,  the  coast  of  Nova  Scotia  and  of  Maine. 

Our  supposition  is  based  on  the  following  facts  :  In  an 
ancient  map  of  '*  New  France,"  by  the  Italian  Jacomo 
di  Gastaldi,  in  about  the  year  1550,  republished  by  Kohl, 
and  which  we  present,  though  of  reduced  size,  what  we 
should  consider  as  veritable  white  bears  are  depicted  as 
swimming  in  the  ocean  far  from  the  coast  of  what  must 
have  been  Nova  Scotia,  and  near  to  but  west  of  Sable 
Island  or  "  Isola  della  rena."  In  the  map  the  l)cars  are 
placed  to  the  southward  of  "Terra  de  Nvrvmbega," 
which  evidently  comprised  Nova  Scotia  and  Eastern 
Maine.  Sable  Island  is  an  enlarged  portion  of  a  broad 
band,  intended  to  represent  the  banks  of  Newfoundland 
and  La  Have. 

That  the  animals  represented  are  bears  admits  of  little 
doubt ;  of  the  four  figures  the  lowermost  one  is  a  seal ;  it 
is  drawn  without  ears,  while  the  three  other  figures  have 
large,  drooping  ears,  like  those  of  a  bear.  A*  ny  rate, 
if  the  locality  was  put  in  at  haphazard  by  the  map-drawer, 
why  should  white  bears  be  also  represented,  as  they  seem 
to  be  in  the  ocean  off  Isola  de  Demoni.  The  figures  of 
the  black  bear,  as  well  as  of  the  rabbit  and  of  the  abo- 
rigines were  all  drawn,  and  it  seems  not  unreasonable  to 
infer  that  white  bears  were  actually  seen  and  reported  to 
the  south  and  west  of  Newfoundland. 

That  the  white  bear  may  have  visited  the  coast  of 
Maine,  near  Portland,  is  further  proved  by  the  probable 
discovery  by  Prof.  E.  S.  Morse  of  a  white  bear's  tooth 
in  the  shell  heaps  of  Casco  Bay. 

Speaking  of  the  bones  of  the  bears  found  in  a  shell 
heap  on  Goose  Island,  Casco  Bay,  Maine,  the  late  Pro- 


ll  •ijllifl 


n  ^ 


\i    i 


IM     \ 


362 


Till-:  /OOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAS  F. 


fessor  VVyman  remarked  in  the  Amkuican  Naturallst, 
1.575.  January,  1868  : 

"The  bones  of  the  dear  though  much  less  numerous, 
were  similarly  broken  up,  and  in  two  instances  had  been 
carbonized  by  contact  with  the  fire.  Among  the  speci- 
mens collected  by  Mr.  Morse  in  his  first  visit  to  Crouch's 


TERRA  SE   L.ABOBADOR 


PARTE    INCOGNITA 


New  France  b>  tl)c  3lalian  3acomo  Ai  Ga|'la{.di  in  abcut  il)t  ymr  1550 


cove  was  the  last  molar  from  the  lower  jaw.  The  crown 
was  somewhat  worn,  but  the  ridges  were  not  all  effaced  ; 
it  was  of  small  size,  measuring  0.55  inch  in  length  and 
and  0.46  in  breadth.  The  average  size  of  eight  speci- 
mens of  the  same  molar  in  the  black  bear  was  :  Length, 
0.60  inch  ;  breadth,  0.47,  while  that  of  two  specimens 
from  the  polar  bear  was,  length,  0.54  inch  ;  breadth, 
0.45.     The  tooth  from  the  shell  heaps,  therefore,  as  re- 


n 


THE   WHITE   HEAR. 


363 


ed 


gards  size,  more  closely  resembles  the  last-mentioned 
species,  as  it  does  also  in  the  shape  of  the  crown — hut  it 
must  be  unsafe  from  a  single  specimen  of  tiie  molar  in 
question  to  attempt  to  identify  them.  The  former  exist- 
ence of  the  polar  bear  on  the  coast  of  Maine  is  rendered 
quite  probable  by  th(;  fact  that  the  tusk  of  a  walrus  has 
actually  been  found  at  Gardiner." 

That  the  white  bear  formerly  was  an  inhabitant  of 
Newfoundland  seems  probable  from  the  facts  we  have 
brought  together,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  antiqua- 
rians and  naturalists  of  Newfoundland  will  investigate 
the  shell  heaps,  should  such  be  found,  of  that  island  for 
further  facts  bearing  on  this  subject. 

VVe  will  now  turn  our  attention  to  the  former  presence 
of  the  white  bear  on  the  Labrador  coast,  where  the  set- 
tlers still  call  it  the  "water  bear."  VVe  find  only  in  Cart- 
wright's  Journal  reference  to  this  creature,  but  this  is  suf- 
ficient to  show  that  it  bred  on  and  permanently  inhabited 
this  coast  from  Belle  Isle,  or  Chateau  Bay,  northward. 
A  white  bear  was  killed  in  1 769  at  Pitt's  harbor.  Chateau 
Bay.  There  is  a  "White  Bear  Sound"  on  Cartwright's 
map  just  north  of  Cape  Charles,  near  Battle  Island. 
Cartwright's  house  was  to  the  northward  of  Cape  Charles, 
in  an  arm  of  Sandwich  Bay.  In  1770  Cartwright  saw 
the  track  of  two  large  white  bears,  and  the  Eskimo  killed 
one  the  same  year  near  his  house.  In  April,  1772,  the 
tracks  of  three  white  bears  were  seen.  In  April,  1776,  a 
white  bear  and  cubs  were  seen  near  Huntington  Island, 
and  in  the  following  May  another  was  observed.  White 
bears  were  also  seen  up  the  rivers  leading  into  Sandwich 
Bay,  and  on  pp.  410-11  Cartwright  describes  the  habits 
of  the  white  bear  in  Labrador,  stating  that  the  young 


,;|-t.-        I 


^t 


364 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


:1« 

i 


are  horn  in  March,  the  parent  bringing  forth  usually  one 
at  a  time,  sometimes  two. 

While  on  the  coast  of  Lai)rador  in  the  summers  of 
i860  and  1864,  we  gatiiered  what  facts  we  could  as  to  the 
occurrence  of  this  animal,  publishing  them  in  the  Pro- 
ceedings of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History  (Vol. 
X,  1866,  270),  from  which  we  take  the  following  extract : 

"  At  Square  island,  a  locality  situated  between  Belle 
Isle  and  Domino  Harbor,  two  cubs  were  captured  and 
taken  to  St.  Johns,  Newfoundland.  At  Domino  Har- 
bor the  skin  of  a  bear  killed  during  the  preceding  spring 
(1863)  was  obtained  by  one  of  our  party.  An  intelli- 
gent hunter  told  me  that  the  white  bear  was  not  unfre- 
quently  seen  at  Stag  Bay,  near  Roger's  Harbor,  which 
is  situated  a  little  more  than  fifty  miles  ,outh  of  Hope- 
dale.  One  was  killed  there  during  the  preceding  winter 
(1863),  and  in  the  autumn  their  tracks  were  abundant. 
They  were  very  shy,  and  could  not  be  seen  in  the  day- 
time. Further  south  they  are  much  rarer.  The  last 
polar  bear  said  to  have  been  seen  in  the  Strait  of  Belle 
Isle  was  shot  fifteen  years  ago  (1849),  at  the  settlement 
•of  Salmon  Bay." 

While  the  entire  peninsula  was  during  the  glacial 
period  mantled  in  ice,  and  as  cold,  or  nearly  so,  as 
Greenland  is  at  present,  the  more  exposed  parts  of  the 
coast  north  of  Belle  Isle  are  still  arctic,  or  at  least  sub- 
arctic. On  the  other  hand  the  main  land,  for  the  most 
part  consisting  of  Laurentian  gneiss  and  schists,  has 
probably  from  Archaean  times  been  dry  land,  forming  an 
important  portion  of  the  continental  nucleus  of  North 
America.  Its  scanty  soil  is  now  over  a  large  proportion 
of  its  surface  probably  frozen  throughout  the  year ;  the 


DISTRIBUTION   OF   INDIANS   AND    KSKIMOS. 


36: 


Barren  Grounds  extend  as  far  south  as  perhaps  hit.  58°,. 
and  spread  still  southward  on  the  higher  elevated  por- 
tions of  the  plateau,  which  are  bare  of  trees,  so  that  the 
northern  third  of  the  peninsula  is  practically  arctic,  the 
animal  and  plant  life  being  essentially  arctic.  But 
southward,  including  the  sheltered  valleys  of  the  north- 
ern or  Atlantic  coast  and  of  the  elevated  interior,  with 
the  St.  Lawrence  region,  the  climatic  features  and  flora 
and  fauna  are  like  those  of  the  western  and  southern 
shores  of  Hudson's  Bay  and  the  northern  shores  of 
the  St.  Lawrence.  It  thus  forms  a  portion  of  the  Boreal 
or  Canadian  Province  of  temperate  North  America. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  conditions  of  existence, 
and  the  adjustment  of  the  plants  and  animals  to  their 
habitats  in  Labrador,  are  those  primarily  depending  on 
the  temperature  both  of  the  ocean  and  of  the  air  ;  and 
the  more  we  know  of  the  distribution  of  life  in  this 
region,  the  more  delicate  appears  to  be  the  balance 
maintained  between  the  organisms  and  their  environ- 
ment. This  is  also  seen  in  the  relative  distribution  of 
the  Indians  and  Eskimos.  The  former  inhabit  the 
boreal,  wooded  portions ;  the  latter  the  arctic,  bare,  tree- 
less, Arctic  portions  of  the  coast  and  of  the  Barren 
Grounds,  when  the  latter  shade  into  the  barren  east  and 
west  coast  of  the  northern  extremity  of  the  peninsula. 

The  best  example  of  a  purely  arctic  animal  which 
still  breeds  on  the  coast  is  the  white  bear.  It  is  an  in- 
teresting fact  that  at  Fort  George,  Hudson's  Bay,  both 
the  black  and  white  bear  are  known  to  breed.  The 
white  bear  mates  about  the  middle  of  April,  and 
"  the  young,  from  one  to  three  in  number,  are  born  in 
holes  under  rocks  lined  with  brush,  grass,  and  moss,  to- 


I  n 


I  '{I 


•F-*- 


I    ; 


iS  ' 


»i^ 


h 


.■  A 


366 


THE   ZOOLOGY   OF   THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


wards  the  end  of  October.  At  time  of  birth  they  are 
the  size  of  a  large  rat,  white  in  color,  helpless,  and  with 
closed  eyes.  They  are  suckled  for  five  months,  the  male 
assisting  in  rearing  them."  * 

With  the  white  bear  is  still  associated  the  walrus, 
which  was  formerly  as  abundant  on  this  coast,  and  in 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  on  the  Magdalen  Islands  and 
certain  parts  of  Nova  Scotia,  as  it  now  is  in  the  polar 
regions. 

The  Britons  and  Basques,  as  well  as  the  English,  went 
to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  after  morses,  during  the 
years  1591-93.  How  abundant  they  were  is  stated  in 
"  A  relation  of  the  first  voyage  and  discoverie  of  the 
Isle    Ramea,   made  by  for    Monsieur    de    La 

Court  Pre  Rauillon,  and  Grand  Pre,  with  the  ship 
called  the  Bonaventure,  to  kill  and  make  Traineoil  of  the 
beast  called  the  Morses  with  great  teeth,  which  we  have 
perfourmed  by  Gods  helpe  this  yeere  1591."  (Hakluyt 
iii.  235.) 

"  The  coast  stretcheth  three  leagues  to  the  west  from 
Lisle  Bl- nch  or  the  white  Isle,  vnto  the  entrance  of  a 
riuer,  where  we  slewe  and  killed  to  the  nun^ber  of  fif- 
teene  hundred  Morses  or  Sea  oxen,  accounting  small  and 
great,  when  at  full  sea  you  may  come  on  shoare  with 
boates,  and  within  are  two  or  three  fathoms  water." 

''  The  14  [June]  we  came  to  the  two  Islands  of  Birds, 
some  23  leagues  fro  Menego  ;  where  there  were  such 
abundance  of  Birds,  as  is  almost  incredible  to  report. 
And  vpon  the  lesse  of  these  Islands  of  Birds,  we  saw 
great  store  of  Morsses  or  sea  Oxen,  which  were  a  sleepe 

*  Miles  Spencer,  Annual  Report  of  the  Geological  and  Natural  History  Survey 
of  Canada.     New  Series,  iii.    Part  2,  1878-88,  p.  76. 


THE   WALRUS. 


367 


vpon  the  rockes ;  but  when  we  approched  nere  vnto 
them  with  our  boate,  they  cast  themsclues  into  the  sea 
and  persued  vs  with  such  furie  as  that  we  were  glad  to 
flee  from  them." 

"  The  three  Islands  of  birds  are  sandy  red,  but  with 
the  multitude  of  birds  vpon  them  they  looke  white.  The 
birds  sit  there  as  thicke  as  stones  lie  in  a  paucd  street. 
The  greatest  of  the  Islands  is  about  a  mile  in  compasse. 
The  second  is  a  little  lesse.  The  third  is  a  very  little  one, 
like  a"  small  rocke.  At  the  second  of  these  three  lay  on 
the  shore  in  the  Sunshine  about  thirty  or  forty  sea-oxen 
or  morses  ;  which  when  our  boat  came  nere  them,  pres- 
ently made  into  the  sea,  and  swam  after  the  boat."  (The 
voyage  of  Mr.  Charles  Leigh  and  diuers  others  to 
Cape  Briton  and  the  Isle  of  Ramea,  1597.  Hakluyt 
iii.  242.) 

Parkman*  also  tells  us  that  the  year  after  the  battle 
of  Ivry,  St.  Malo  sent  out  a  fleet  of  small  craft  in  quest 
of  this  new  prize. 

Hind,  speaking,  of  Seven  Islands  Bay,  in  his  work  on 
Labrador,  says:  "  In  the  spring  and  at  the  approach  of 
winter  it  is  visited  by  myriads  of  ducks,  geese,  and 
swans ;  it  was  formerly  a  favorite  haunt  of  the  walrus, 
which,  although  not  now  seen  even  in  the  Gulf  itself, 
was  once  common  as  far  up  the  great  river  St.  Lawrence, 
as  the  mouth  of  Saugenay,  and  from  this  animal  the 
'  Pointe  aux  Vaches,'  about  a  mile  below  Tadousac, 
takes  its  name.  Not  improbably  the  *  fishes  like  horses' 
which  the  Indians  described  as  frequenting  the  Chi-sche- 
dec,  and  which  Lescarbot  calls  hippopotami,  were  these 
large  animals." 

*  Pioneers  of  France  in  the  New  World,  p.  209. 


ilil 


II    '  "'«*« 


r 


u 


W- 


r 


368 


THK   /.OOr/XJY   OF   THK    LABRADOR    COAST. 


The  bones  of  the  wahus  were  in  late  years  still  to  he 
found  on  the  shores  of  the  Magdalen  Islands,  its  former 
great  abundance  there  having  been  commented  on  by 
Cartier  and  Charlevoix.  According  to  tradition,  it  also 
inhabited  some  of  the  harbors  of  Cape  Breton  ;  and  I 
have  been  informed  l)y  a  Maine  fisherman,  that  on  an 
islet  near  Cape  Sable,  Nova  Scotia,  the  bones  of  an 
enormous  seal-like  creature  are  to  be  found  in  the  sand 
near  the  shore,  iifteen  to  twenty  feet  above  the  sea.  The 
last  one  seen  or  heard  of  in  the  Gulf,  so  far  as  I  could 
ascertain,  was  killed  at  St.  Augustine,  Labrador,  about 
the  year  1840.  One  was  seen  at  Square  Island  in  1849, 
and  two  shortly  before  that,  and  another  was  killed  at 
the  same  place  about  the  year  1855.  In  1864  I  saw  the 
head  of  a  young  walrus,  which  was  found  floating  dead 
in  the  drift  ice  north  of  Belle  Isle,  having  been  killed 
apparently  by  a  harpoon.  Mr.  Stearns  states  that  two 
were  shot  in  1880  and  1881  at  Fox  Harbor,  St.  Lewis 
Sound,  off  shore  a  little  way. 

The  following  lists,  with  the  remarks  appended,  will 
give  in  a  methodical  way  what  little  is  really  known  of 
the  zoology  of  the  Labrador  coast,  beginning  with  the 
animals  of  the  lowest  classes  and  ascending  to  the  high- 
est. The  lists  are  printed  rather  for  the  benefit  of  the 
scientific  than  the  general  reader.  It  may  be  mentioned 
that  a  few  species  of  sponges  were  collected,  but  not 
identified. 

CCELENTERATES.     (Polyps,  Hydroids,  etc.) 

Metridium  marginatum  Edw.  &  H.  From  Indian 
Harbor  southward,  below  low-tide. 

Urticina  crassicornis  Ehr.  From  Square  Island 
southward  ;   i-io  f. 


rOLVrS    AND    IIVDKOIDS. 


369 


I,  : 
%4 


Edivardsia  sipiiuculoidcs  Stimp.    Ilcnlcy  IIarl)ur ;  4  f. 

liydractinia  polyclina  \<^AS'?,.     Salmon   Bay,  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle. 

Corync  uiirabilia  Agass.      Belles  ^Amours. 

Clava  niu/iicornis  Pallas.     Salmon  Bay. 

T/niiaria  thuja  ''leniing.     Mingan  Islands,  Labrador. 

Halccium  halccinhni  Johnst.  Caribou  Island  in  ei^ht 
fathoms,  gravelly  bottom,  where  its  branehes  supported 
the  nests  of  Cerapus  rubricoriiis  Stimps.  Frecjuent  in 
thirty  fatiioms ;  Chateau  Bay,  on  a  sandy  bottom. 

Halecium  muricatiDn  Johnst.  Off  Caribou  Island, 
in  from  thirty  to  fifty  fathoms.  Square  Island  in  thirty 
fathoms. 

Cotulina polyzonias  {\J\\\\\,^.     Caribou  Island. 

Cotulina  triciispidata  (Alder).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  in 
forty  fathoms  upon  DipJiasia  rosacea. 

AmpliitrocJia  rjioosa  (Linn.).      S(iuare  Island,  30  f. 

Serttilaria  Jiliciila  Ell,  and  Sol. 

Scrtnlaria  Jalcata  Linn.  Mingan  Islands,  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence. 

Sertidaria  argentca  Ell.  and  Sol.     Caribou  Island. 

Sertiilaria  cupresshia  Linn. 

Sertidaria  abictina  Linn.  Mingan  Islantls,  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence,  and  Labrador. 

DipJiasia  rosacea  (Linn.). 

Dynamc7ia  pumila  Lamx. 
tween  tide-marks. 

LafcBa  duniosa  (Johnst.). 
and  ;   1 5  f. 

Laomedca  amphora  Agass.     Square  Island. 

Clytia  voltibilis  (Alder.).     Henley  Harbor,  20  to  30  f. 

Oceania  languida  A.  Agass.     Caribou  Island,  8  f. 


Strait  of  Belle   Isle,  50  f. 
Strait  of  Belle  Isle,   be- 

Cateau  Harbor,  Long  Isl- 


370 


TIIK   ZOOLOGY   OF  TllK    LABRADOR   COAST. 


\>  ■  ■ 


i;lr= 


Campanularia  verticillata  Johnst.  Ilcnley  Harbor, 
20  f. 

Luccrnaria  quadricornis  MQll.     Caribou  Island,  10  f. 

Mana7iia  auricula  (Fabr.). 

Tracliynema  digitate  A.  Agass.  Strawberry  Har- 
bor, 15  f. 

Cyanca  arctica  Pdr.  ct  Lesson.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Aurelia  Jlaviditla  Pdr.  et  Lesson.  Strait  of  Belle 
Isle,  and  in  retired  bays. 

Idyia  roseola  Agass.  Cape  Webuc  (Harrison)  to 
Salmon  Bay  in  tbe  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Plciirobrachia  rhododaclyla  Agass.  Little  Mecatina 
Island. 

A/ericHsia  ovum  Morcb. 

Echi\()1)i:kms. 

Astrophyton  euciicviis  Miiller  and  Troseliel.  Strait 
of  Belle  Isle,  18  to  80  f. 

Ophiacaiitha  spinulosa  Mull,  and  Truscb.  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle,  40  f. 

Amphiura  sundcvalli  M.  and  T.  Cateau  Bay,  Long 
Island,  15  f. 

OpJiiopholis  aculcata  Miiller.     Wbole  coast  2-50  f. 

Ophioglyplia  Sarsii  (Liitken).  Cateau  Bay,  Long 
Island,  15  f. 

'     Ophioglypha  nodosa  Lyman.     Salmon    Bay  to  Square 
Island,  low-water  to  30  f. 

Ophioglypha  robusta  (Ayres).  L'Anse-au-Loup  to 
Square  Island,  2-10  f.  (Stearns). 

Crossastcr  p)apposa  (Linn.).  Salmon  Bay,  Square  Isi 
and,  15-30  f. 


1 


m 


tMi 


f. 


STARFISH. 


371 


Solaster endeca  (Linn.)  Forbes.  Long  Island,  Catcau 
Bay,  i5f. 

Cribella  sani^uinolcnta  (MUll.).  Salmon  Bay,  Strait 
of  Belle  Isle,  15  f.,  S(iuare  Island  (Stearns). 

Asterias groenlandiciis  Steenstr.  Caribou  Island  and 
Square  Island,  15  f. 

Asterias  vulgaris  Stimps.     Whole  coast. 

A s terms  polar/ s  (Miill  et  Trosch.).  Caribou  Island, 
Square  Island  and  Hopedale.  Large  specimens,  measur- 
ing 20  inches  across,  frccjuently  occurred  in  pools  at  low- 
vatermark.  The  color  in  life  was  a  light  greenish  hue, 
mottled  with  reddish  brown. 

Lcpastcrias  littoralis  (Stimps.).  Near  Scjuare  Island, 
1-5  f.  (Stearns). 

Stronc,vloccntrotiis drobachicnsis  Agass.      Whole  coast. 

Echinarachnius  parnia  Gray.      Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Lopkothiiria  Fabricii\^xx\Vi.     Esquimaux  Bay,  15  f. 

Pcntacta  calcigcra  Stimps.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Pcntacta  frondosa  Jaeger.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Ckirodota  Ucvc  Grubc.     Whole  coast. 

Eupyrgus  scabcr  Ltitken.  Salmon  Bay,  10  f.,  to 
Long  Island,  15  f. 

Myriotrochus  Rinkii  Steenstr.  Sandwich  Bay  to 
Domino,  7-30  f. 

POLYZOANS. 

Tubtdipora  serpens  (Linn.).      Square    Island,  30  f. ; 
Henley  Harbor. 

Tubulipor a  patina  Johnst.     Domino  Harbor,  7  f. 
Tubulipora  divisa  Stimps.     Henley  Harbor,  4  f. 
Tubulipora  hispida  Johnst.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 
Tubulipora  palmata  Wood.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 


bliiiii'  ^ 


i 


372 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


r  A 


F|    -i 


i 


TubuLipora  expansa  (Packard).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Tubulipora  atlantica  Johnst.      Strait  of    Belle   Isle, 
50  f.  ;  Square  Island,  30  f. 

Discoporella  verrucaria  (Fabr.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,. 
50  f. 

Hippothoa  catcmilaric  Jameson. 

Hippothoa  borealis  D'Orb.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle  and 
Cateau  Harbor. 

Hippothoa  expansa  Dawson.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Lcpralia  annulata  O.   Fabr.       Strait  of    Belle  Isle ; 
also  in  Cateau  Harboi,  Long  Island,  15  f. 

Lcpralia  ciliata  Johnst.     Whole  coast. 

Lepralia  (n.  sc).     Allied  to  L.  trispinosa  Johnst. ; 
very  abundant. 

Lepralia  per tusa  Thomps.     Cateau  Harbor,  15  f. 

Lcpralia  producta  Pack. 

Lepralia  trispinosa  Jf  inst. 

Lepralia  Belli  Dawson.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Lepralia  labiata    Stimps. 

Lepralia  lineata  Hassell. 

Smittia  globifera  (Pack.). 

Electra  pilosa  (Linn.). 

Membra7iipora  lineata  (Linn.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
10-50  f. 

Membranipora  tmicornis  var.  americana  D'Orb. 

Membranipora  solida  Pack. 

Beania  adniiranda  Pack. 

Crisiae  burnea  {\J\XiX\?).  Hopedale,  10  f.;  Henley  Har- 
bor, 4  f. 

Bugulopsis  Peachii  (Busk.). 

Cellularia   ternata  (Solander).   Strait  of  Belle   Isle, 
50  f. 


MOLLUSCS. 


373 


Isle, 


Scrupocellaria  americana  Pack.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
50  f. ;  Belles  Amours,  8  f. ;  Square  Island,  10-30  f. 
Acamarchis  plurnosa  Busk.     Thomas  Bay,  15  f. 
Caber ea  Hooker i  Busk. 

Flustra  borealis  (Pack.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 
Flustra  truncata  Linn. 
F.  membranacea  Linn. 
Flustra papyrea  Pall,  digitata  (Pack.).    Chateau  Bay, 

30  f. 

Bugula  murrayana  Busk.     Whole  coast. 

Bugula  murrayana  var.  fruticosa  Pack. 

Cellepora  pumicosa  Ellis. 

Celleporaria  surcularis  Pack.  Can.  Nat.  p.  410. 

Escliara  lobata  Lamx.  ?     Whole  coast,  10-50  f. 

E,  elega7itula  D'Orb.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 

Porella  elegantula  D'Orb.  var.  papposa  (Pack.). 
Chateau  Bav. 

Leieschara  subgracilis  (D'Orh.)  (A  fyrw20u?u  subgracile 
D'Orb.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 

Brachiopods. 

Hypothyris  psittacea  King. 

Frequent  on  hard  and  sandy  bottoms  along  the  whole 
coast  in  from  eight  to  fifty  fathoms. 


MOLLUSCS.  * 

LaMELLIBRANCII  I  ATA. 

Anomia   ephippium     Linn.      Caribou     Island,    8  f. ; 
Square  Island,  30  f. 
Anomia  aculeata  Gmelin.    Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  10-50  f. 

*  This  list  has  been  perfected  by  incorporating  the  species  found  by  Mr.  W. 
A.  Stearns,  and  recorded  by  Miss  Katharine  J.  Bush  in  her  "  Catalogue  of 
MoUuscE.,"  etc.,  of  Labrador. 


ML. 


374 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Astarte  Banksii  Leach.     Whole  coast  in  deep  water. 

Astarte  compressa  (Linn.).  Abundant  on  the  whole 
coast  in  from  lo  to  50  f. 

Astarte  arctica  (Gray).  Henley  Harbor  to  Square 
Island,  2-15  f.  (Stearns). 

Astarte  elliptica  (Brown).  Henley  Harbor,  5-15  f. 
(Stearns.) 

Astarte  striata  Leach.     Hopedale,  10  f. 

Cardium  ciliatum  Fabr.  Square  Island,  30  f ;  Sal- 
mon Bay,  ID  f. 

Cardhcm  Hayesii  St\m^s.     Whole  coast,  10-30  f. 

Pecten  tenuicostatus  Mighl.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Pecten  islandicus  Miill.     Whole  coast,  10-50  f. 

Limatula  sulculus  Leach.     Several  were  dredged  in 

1 5-50  f. 

Nucula  tenuis  Turton.     Common  on  the  whole  coast. 

Nucula  expansa  Reeve.     Chateau  Bay,  50  f. 

Yoldia  myalis  (Couth).      L'Anse-au-Loup,  15  f. 

Yoldia  sapotilla  Stimps.    Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  10-15  L 

Leda  buccata  Stimps.  Long  Island,  15  f.  ;  Henley 
Harbor,  20  f. 

Leda  Jacksoni  Gould.  Henley  Harbor,  10-15  f. 
(Stearns.) 

Leda  minuta  (Fabr.).     Whole  coast,  15-50  f. 

Crenella  glandula  (Totten).  Caribou  Island,  5  f.; 
Square  Island,  30  f. 

Modiolaria  corrugata  Stimps.    Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 

Modiqlaria  nigra  (Gray).  L'Anse-au-Loup,  10  f. 
(Stearns.) 

Modiolaria  discors  (IJinn.).  Near  Square  Island,  1-4  f. 
(Stearns.) 

Modiolaria  Icevigata  Gray. 


MOLLUSCS. 


375 


I  u  I— m 


ml 


•15 


Modiolaria  faba  (Fabr.).     Henley  Harbor,  4  f. 

Modiolaria  discrepans  Mull.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle; 
Square  Island,  30  f. 

Mytilus  modiolus  Linn.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Mytilus  ednlis  Linn.     Whole  coast. 

Alasmodonta  ar'cuata  Barnes  ?  I  was  told  that  a  fresh- 
water mussel  was  common  in  Salmon  River. 

Pisidium  Stcenbuchii  (Moll.).  Square  Island  and 
Strawberry  Harbor. 

Cryptodon  obesus  Verrill.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f., 
and  whole  coast. 

Axinopsis  orbiculata  Sars.  Henley  Harbor,  10-15  f. 
(Stearns.) 

Venericardia  borealis  (Conn).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
50  f.;  Long  Island,  15  f.;  Chateau  Bay,  50  f. 

Cardium  pinmdatiLm  Conr.  It  did  not  occur  north 
of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Serripes  groenlandicHs  V>^c^.     Whole  coast,  10-50  f. 

Gemma   Totteni  Stimps.     Indian   Harbor,  low-water. 

Tapes  fiuctiwsa  Sowb.  Henley  Harbor,  20  f.;  Square 
Island,  30  f. 

Mactra  solidissinia  Chemn.  Mouth  of  Esquimaux 
River  ;  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Mactra  polyncma  Stimps.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Mesodesina  Jaiiresii  Joannis.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Macoma  fragilis  {^2i\)\.  fiisca  Gould).     Whole  coast. 

Macoma  sabulosa  Stimps.     Whole  coast. 

Solen  ensis  Linn.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Tliracia  Conradi  Couth.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Thracia  myopsis  Beck.  Salmon  Bay,  10  f. ;  Long 
Island,  15  f. 

Periploma  papyracea  (Say.).    Chateau  Bay,  15  £ 


I^smI 


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wmFT 


H'"' 


376 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Kennerlia glacialis  (Leach).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  1 5  f. ; 
Henley  Harbor,  20  f.;  Square  Island,  30  f. 

Lyonsia  arenosa  (Moll.).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  15  f.; 
Long  Island,  15  f. 

Cyrtodaria  siliqiia  Daudin.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  1 5- 
50  f. 

Mya  truncata  Linn.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f;  Square 
Island,  30  f. 

Mya  arenaria  Linn.     Whole  coast. 

Saxicava  rugosa  Linn.     Whole  coast,  10-50  f. 

Gasteropods. 

Clione  limacina  Phipps.     Whole  coast. 

Limacina  helicina  Phipps.     Off  Cape  Harrison. 

Prodoporia  ?  sp.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 

Eolis  sp.      Henley  Harbor,  4  f. 

Dendroiiotus  arbor  escens  Fabr.     Hen  lev  Harbor, 

CylicJma  alba  Lov6n.  Caribou  Island,  JO-15  f.; 
Chateau  Bay,  50  f.;  Sloop  Harbor,  7  f. 

Bulla  pertemiis  Migh.     Belles  Amours,  8  f. 

Bulla  occulta  Migh. 

Coryphella  divcrsa  Couth.   L'Anse-au-Loup.  (Stearns.) 

Tonicella  marmorea  (Fabr.).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  low- 
water  to  50  f.,  and  northward. 

Trac hydcrmou  album  (YJiun.^.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 
'  T.  rubrum.  (Linn.).  Whole  coast  north  to  Square 
Island.  (Stearns.) 

Acmcea  testudinalis  Miiil.  Low-water  to  15  f.;  whole 
coast. 

Acmeea  rubella  (Fabr.).  Square  Island,  30  f.;  Stra^v- 
berry  Harbor,  20  f. 


MOLLUSCS. 


377 


Lepeta  cceca  (Miill.).     Henley  Harbor.    (Stearns.) 

Puncturella  noachina    (Linn.).    Strait  of   Belle   Isle, 
10-50  f.;    Square  Island,  30  f. 

Scissurella  crispata  Flem.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Adeorbis  costiilata  Stimps.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Machce7'oplax  varicosa  {^\^^\'^.     Square  Island,  10- 
30  f. ;  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 
^  Mac hisi'oplaxobsnira  (Couth.).  L'Anse-au-Loup,  i5f. 

Margarita  cincrea  Gould.     Caribou  Island,  7  f.;  Long 
Island,  15  f.;   Square  Island,  30  f. 

Margarita  argentata  Gould.     Near    Square    Island. 
(Stearns.) 

Margarita  grcenlandica  (Gm.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
15-20  f. 

Margarita  Jieliciiia  Moll.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Margarita  campanulata  Morse.    Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Littorinclla  mimUa    (Totten).     Strait  of   Belle  Isle  ; 
Fox  Harbor.      (Stearns.) 

Cingu/a  castanea   Moll.     Strait  of    Belle  Isle ;    near 
Square  Island,  1-4  f. 

Veliitina  haliotoides  Miill.     Whole  coast. 

Lactina  vincta  Turt 

Littorifia  vestita  Gould, 
whole  coast. 

Littori7ta  palliata  Go\x\d.     Strait  of   Belle  Isle,  with 
varieties  as  in  Maine. 

Littorina  littorea  (Linn.).     (Stearns.) 

Sea/aria  grcenlaiidica  Perry. 

Turritella  erosa  Couth.     Chateau  Bay,  Long  Island, 

Turritella   reticulata    Mighl.     Salmon    Bay,    15    f.; 
Chateau  Bay,  15  f.;  Square  Island,  30  f.;  Hopedale,  10  f. 


Square  Island.  30  f. 

Not  uncommon  along  the 


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378 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Turritellopsis  acicula  (Stimps.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle^ 

50  f. 

Aporrhais  occidentalis  Beck.  Salmon  Bay  to  Hope- 
dale,  6-50  f. 

Menestho  albula  Moll.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  2-15  f. 

Velutina  Icsvigata  (Linn.).  Henley  Harbor,  3-8  f.; 
Square  Island,  1-4  f.  (Stearns.) 

Lamellar ia  per spicua  Lovdn.      15  f. 

Natica  heros  Say.     Salmon  Bay,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Natica  clausa  Sowb.     Whole  coast,  15  f. 

Lunatia grwnlaiidica  (Moll.).     Chateau  Bay,  15  f. 

Bela  scalaris {)Aid\\.^.  Square  Island,  15-30 f.;  Dump- 
lin  Harbor,  4  i. 

Bela  rosea  Sars.     Forteau  Bay,  20  f.  (Stearns.) 

Bela  mitrula 'Low en.    With  the  preceding.    (Stearns.) 

Bela  incisula  Verrill.  Forteau  Bay  to  Square  Isl- 
and, 2" 20  f.  (Stearns.) 

Bela  nobilis  (Moller).     Whole  Coast. 

Bela  woodiana  Moll.     Whole  Coast. 

Bela  exarata  (Moll.).     Whole  coast. 

Bela  dccussata  (Couth.).  Salmon  Bay,  10-15  ^-I 
Square  Island,  30  f.  ' 

Bela  pleurotomaria  (Couth.).  Square  Island,  30  f.; 
Sandwich  Bay,  4  f. 

Bela  py rami dalis  Stimps.     Square  Island,  30  f. 

Bela  cancellata  Mighl.     Square  Island,  30  f. 

Bela  violaeca  Stimps.     Square  Island,  30  f. 

Bela  borealis  (Rve.).  Square  Island,  30  f.;  Sandwich 
Bay  4  f. 

Buecinum  donovani Gxdiy.  Henley  Harbor,  low-water 
to  15  f.  (Stearns.) 

Buccinum  totteni  Stimps.  Henley  Harbor,  8-15  f. 
(Stearns.) 


m^ 


MOLLUSCS. 


279 


Buccinum  ciliatum   (Fabr.).     Henley  Harbor,  3-8  f. 
(Stearns.) 

Buccinuin  tindatum  Linn.     Whole  coast. 

Buccinum  tenue  Gray.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 

Tritonofusus  crctaceus  (Reeve).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle 
to  Square  Island,  7-30  f. 

Sipho  lividus  (Morch).     Henley  Harbor  to   Square 
Island,  1-8  f.  (Stearns.) 

Ftisus  syrtensis  Pack.     Square  Island,  30  f. 

Fusus  tornatus  Gould.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 

TricJioti'opis  borealis  Brod.  and  Sowb.     Whole  coast, 
10-50  f. 

Adnicte  cotithouyi  (Jay).     Strait  of   Belle  Isle,  50  f. 
(Square  Island,  1-4  f.  Stearns.) 

Trophon  clathratjis   (Linn.).     L'Anse-au-Loup,   10- 
15  f.;    Henley  Harbor,  3-15  f. 

Trophon  scalarifornie  Stimps.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
50  f.;   Chateau  Bay,  50  f.;    Henley  Harbor,  20  f. 

Astyris    rosacea    (Gould).       L'Anse-au-Loup,    8    f,; 
Henley  Harbor,  3-8  f.  (Stearns.) 

Ischmia   {Pupa^  Hoppii  Beck.     Strawberry  Harbor. 

Zoogcnctes  harpa  (Say).     Caribou  Island. 

Conuhis  {Helix)   Fabricii  Beck  et   M oiler.     Straw- 
berry Harbor. 

Hyalina  electriiia  (Say).     Belles  Amours. 

Vitrina  angeliccB  Beck  et  Mdller.    Strawberry  Harbor. 

Limax  agrestis  Linn.      Strawberry    Harbor   and  at 
Square  Island. 


Cephalopods. 

Ommastrephes    illecebrosus    Les. 
15  f.;  and  Fox  Harbor.  (Stearns.) 


L'Anse-au-Loup, 


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liiUBilll''  i' 


^1"  ".fyf 


ill 


380 


ii 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Worms. 


Syrinx  ?  sp.     Salmon  Bay,  8  f. 

Phascolion  strombi  Thoel.  {^Phascolosoma  hamulatum 
Pack.)    Salmon  bay,  8  f. 

Gordtus  lacustris  Fabr.?  Fauna  Gronl.     Caribou  Is. 

Pontobdella  sp.     Henley  Harbor,  4  f. 

Po7itobdella  ?  livida  Pack.     Belles  Amours,  8  f. 

Ccrebi'attdiis  {Aleckelid)  olivacea  Rathke.  Salmon 
Bay- 10  f.,  to  Henley  Harbor,  20  f. 

Cerebratiihis  cylindricus  Pack.     Belles  Amours,  8  f. 

Lumbrictis  terrestris  Linn.?     Square  Is.  and  Hopedale. 

Spirorbis  vitrcus  (Fabr.).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  40- 
50  f.;  Strawberry  Harbor,  15  f. 

Spirorbis  sinistrorstts  Montagu.     Henley  Harboi,  4  t. 

Spirorbis  Incidus  M  orch.  {Spirorbis porrectus  M  till. ). 
Whole  coast,  11-30  f. 

Spirorbis  cancellatus  (Fabr.).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  40  f. 

Spiroi^bis granuiatus  (MuW.).      Whole  coast,  io-4of. 

Spirorbis  spirilhim  (Linn.).     Whole  coast. 

Vermilia  serrtila  Stimps.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  50  f. 

Amphitrite  cirrata  Mtill.  Cateau  Harbor;  Caribou 
Island,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  8  f. 

Amphitrite  f  sp. 

Ampharete  Grubei  Malmgren.     Henley  Harbor,  4  f. 

Pectinaria  granulata  ( Li nn. ).  Cistenidcs  granulattis 
Linn,  non  Johnst.    Whole  coast,  low-water  to  50  f. 

Pr axilla  Millleri  Malmg.     Chateau  Bay,  30-40  f. 

Nicomache  himbricalis  Malmg.     Salmon  Bay,  8  f. 

Spiochcstoptei'tis  typicus  Sars.     Chateau  Bay,  30-40  f. 

Arenicola  marina  (Linn.).  {Arenicola  piscatorum 
Lamk.) 


i' ' 


CRUSTACEANS. 


381 


Trophonia  aspci'a  (Stimps.).  {Siphonostomum  as- 
per'um  Stimps.)     Salmon  Bay,  8  f. 

Trophonia  plumosa  (Milll.).     Salmon  Bay,  10  f. 

Cirratulus  cirratiis  (Fabr.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Hetcvoncrcis  arctica  Oersted  ?     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Ncpkthys  lo)i^isctosa  Oersted.     Belles  Amours,  5  f. 

Nephtliys  cesca  Oersted.     Whole  coast,  5-30  f. 

Eteone  cylindrica  Oersted.     Belles  Amours,  5  f. 

Phyllodoce  grccnlandica  Oersted.  Salmon  Bay,  8  f.; 
Square  Island,  15-20  f. 

Nothria  conchylega  Malmgren.  Salmon  Bay,  15  f.; 
Chateau  Bay,  30  f. ;  Gateau  Harbor,  15  f. 

Nereis pclagica  (\J\m-\.).     Whole  coast,  10-30  f. 

Nereis  dcnticidata  Stimps.  Salmon  Bay,  between 
tide-marks. 

Plioloe  mifmta  Oersted.     Belles.  Amours,  8  f. 

Harmothoe  imbricata  Linn.     Whole  coast,  4-15  f. 

Lepidonohis  squaniatus  (Linn.).  Whole  coast,  low- 
water  to  20  f. 

Crustaceans.* 

Nympho7i  grossipcs  Fabr.  Salmon  Bay  and  Square 
Island;  15-30  f. 

.  Coroimla  diadcma  (Linn.).  Taken  quite  frequently 
froHi  the  skin  of  whales  caught  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence. 

* 

Balanus  crenatiis  Brug.     Whole  coast. 
Balaniis  balanoidcs  Linn.     Whole  Coast. 
Balaims porcatns  Da  Costa.     Whole  coast. 


*  Compare  also  "  List  by  Prof.  S.  J.  Smith  of  Crustacea  from  Port  Burwell, 
collected  by  Dr.  R.  Bell  in  1884."  Report  of  Progress  of  Geological  and  Nat- 
ural History  Survey  and  Museum  of  Canada,  1S82-83-84.  Appendix  iv.  57 
DD.     (Port  Burwell  is  an  inlet  on  the  Ungava  side  of  Cape  Chidley), 


if  lit 


riils' 


■iiMI 


IT 

Ml 

P  ^ 

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1 

382 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Lerncra  branchialis  Linn. 

Daphnia  sp.  Found  al)undantly  in  all  the  fresh-water 
pools. 

CypridiJia  excisa  St  imps. 

Bi'iinchmecia  paludosa  (MQli.).  Found  abundantly  at 
"  Indian  Tickle,"  on  the  north  shore  of  Invuctoke  Inlet, 
in  a  pool  of  fresh  water. 

Ncbalia  bipes  Fahn      Henley  Harbor,  4-8  f. 

Bopyriis  mysidum  Pack. 

Aif^a  s{).  One  specimen  was  taken  from  the  under 
side  of  a  cod  in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Tanais  filum  Stimps.     Caribou  Island,  8  f. 

Praniza  ccrimi  Stimps.     Ciiateau   Bay,  Long  Island, 

15  f- 

J(sra  nival  is  Ys^xoy^x.     Indian  Harbor,  Sandwich  Bay. 

Idotcea  viarmorata  Pack.  Sloop  Harbor,  Kyuetar 
buck  Bay,  7  f. 

Caprclla  scptcntrionalis  Kroyer.     Wiiole  coast,  4-30  f. 

Hypcria  mcdusanivi  Bate.      Found   with   numerous 
young  in  the  stomach-cavity  of  Cyanca  arctica,  at  Dom 
ino  Harbor. 

Diilic/iia  porrccta  {fide  Bocck). 

Cerapus  rnbriforjuis  Stimps.  Inhabits  flexible  tubes 
in  HaleciiDii  lialccina.  Eight  fathoms,  sand,  Carib(ju 
Island,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Amp/iitJwc  mactdata   Stimps.     Henley   Harbor,  8  f. 

Ganimariis  lociista  (Linn.)    Leach. 

Gammarus  dentatus  Kroyer.  Square  Island,  15-30 
f.;  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  15  f.;  Chateau  Bay,  20-30  f. 

Paramphitoe  panopla  K royer. 

Calliope  heviiisciila  Bate.  Henley  Harbor,  4  f.;  Stag 
Bay,  15  f. 


CRUSTACEANS. 


383 


Amphitonottis  Edwardsii  Bate.     Square  Island,  30  f. 
Amplutonotns  cataphractiis  Stimps.     Henley  Harbor, 

4f. 

Atylus  vulgaris  Bate.  Henley  Harbor,  4  f.;  Square 
Island,  15  f.;  at  Sta<j  Bay,  15  f. 

Atylus  {Paramp/iitoe)  inermis  (Kroyer).  Henley 
Harbor,  10-20  f. 

Atylus  {ParampJiitoif)  bispinosus  Beck. 

iMonoculodcs  nubilatus  Pack.  Caribou  Island,  8  f.; 
Henley  Harbor,  4  f. 

Ampelisca  Gaimardi.  Chateau  Bay,  30  f. ;  Catcau 
Harbor,  15  f. 

Ampelisca  pelagica  (Stimps).  Chateau  Bay,  30  f.; 
Stao;  Bay,  10  f.;  Caribou  Island,  8  f.;  Long  Island,  15  f.; 
Strawberry  Harbor,  14  f. 

Avipclisca     Eschrichtii     Kroyer.       Caribou     Island, 

14  f. 

Haploops  tiibicola  Kroyer.     Cateau  Harbor,  15  f. 

Pontoporeia  fcmorata  Kroyer.  Belles  Amours,  Strait 
of  Belle  Isle,  5-8  f. 

Anonyx  ampiilla  (Phipps).  Dumplin  Harbor,  Sand- 
wich Bay,  4  f. 

Anonyx  lagena  Kroyer.     Sloop  Harbor,  8  f. 

Afionyx  prodnc/a,  15  f.,  sand. 

Lysianassa  appcndiculata  Kroyer.  Henley  Harbdr, 
Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  40  f. 

Alauna  Goodsiri  Bell.  Belles  Amours,  6  f.;  Thomas 
Bay,  15  f.;  Square  Island,  15-30  f.;  Henley  Harbor,  8  f.; 
Cateau  Bay,  Long  Island,  15  f. 

Mysis  ocnlata  Fabr.  Abundant  along  the  whole  coast. 
The  young  go  in  schools,  and  the  sea-trout  consume 
great  numbers  of  them. 


I 


in 

I  ill 


384 


THE  ZUOLOGY  OK  THK  LAUKADOR  COAST. 


\n 


1 


1 


Pandalus  annu/iconu's  Leach.  Henley  Harbor; 
Sloop  Harbor,  6  f. ;   Hopcdalc,  10  f. 

Uippoiytc  acuUata  {V\\\'>x.)  \\.x()\c\\  Caribou  Island^ 
14  I'.;  Square  Island,  15-30  f.;  Domino  Harbor,  7  f.; 
Slrait  of  Hello  Isle,  10  f. 

Jlippo/yU'  po/aris  {'^•A\nnc)  Kroyer.  Square  Island, 
J  5-30  f.;  Strait  of  I3elle  Isle,  10  f. 

Uippoiytc  J^liippsii  Kroyer.      Domino  Harbor,  7  f. 

Ilippolyte  hirg/da  Kroyer.      Belles  Amours,  10  f. 

Ifippolytc  maciloita  Kroyer.     Scjuare  Island,  15-30  f. 

Ifippolytc  Sinvcrbyi  Leach.     Square   Island,  15-30  f. 

Ilippolyte  Gaimardi  M.  Edwards.  Common  on  the 
whole  coast.  Caribou  Island,  15  f.;  Square  Island,  30 f.; 
Henley  Harbor  and  Sloop  Harbor,  8  f .;  Hopedale,  10  f. 

Ilippolyte  Fabricii  Kroyer.      Domino  Harbor,  7  f. 

Argis  lar  Owen.     Square  Island,  30  f. 

Sabinca  scptemcarinata  Sabine.     Thomas  Bay,  I5f. 

Crampon  ^^^r^i"  ( Phipps).  Caribou  Island,  8  f. ;  Strait 
of  Belle  Isle,  10  f. ;  Square  Island,  30  f.;  Henley  Har- 
bor, 4-10  f. 

Crauooit  vulmris  Fabr.     Caribou  Island. 

Hoiuarus  amcricanus  M.  Edw.  Henley  Harbor ; 
rare.    This  seems  to  be  the  northern  limits  of  the  lobster. 

Eupao-tiriis  pubesccns  Stimps.  Abundant  on  the 
whole  coast  from  low-v^ater  mark  to  fifty  fathoms.  Strait 
of  Belle  Isle,  50  f.;   Hopedale,  10  f. 

^Eupao^uriis  Kroyeri  Stimps.      Found  with  preceding. 

Ilyas  coaj^ctata  Leach.      Henley  Harbor,  30  f. 

Ilyas  arauca  (Linn.)..  Abundant  along  the  whole 
coast,  5-50  f. 

Ckioncecetcs  opilio  (Fabr.).  Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
10-50  f.;  Chateau  Bay,  30-50  f. 


SIMDKKS. 


385 


Cancer  borcalis  Slimps.  Not  unconiinoii  at  (Jaiihou 
island,  Strait  of  Ik'llc  Isle,  hut  it  did  not  occur  to  us 
northward.  I  was  informed  that  it  was  found  in  Hamil- 
ton Inlci.  where  the  temperature  of  the  water   must  be 


hif^her  than  on  the  coast. 


LIST  OF  THE   SPIDERS.  MVRIOPODS,  AND 
INSECTS  OF   LA  Hk  A  DOR. 

A  list  of  all  the  known  species  of  terrestrial  Arthro- 
pods of  the  Lahrador  coast  may  prove  convenient  as  a 
startinj^-point  for  future  investigations.  Hence  I  have, 
hesides  enumerating  the  si)ecies  of  other  groups,  revised 
the  lists  of  Lepidoptera — Mr.  Scudder  kindly  contrihut- 
the  list  of  huttertlies.  F^or  changes  in  the  names  of  the 
Tortricidae  I  am  indehled  to  Prof.  C.  W.  Fernald's  ex- 
cellent catalogue  of  the  Tortricidteof  the  United  States; 
Prof.  FYunald  has  also  revised  the  list  of  Pyralidae. 

Araciixida. 

The  spiders  which  I  collected  at  various  points  on  the 
coast  were  sent  to  Prof.  T.  Thorell,  of  Upsala,  for  iden- 
tification and  description.  Out  of  ten  s[)ecies  collected, 
seven  were  new  to  science.  Prof.  Thorell's  paper  was 
published  in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society  of 
Natural  History,  xvii.,  April  21,  1875. 

Epcira  pata^iata  (Cierck).  Square  Island,  Straw- 
berry Harbor. 

Epcira  Packardii  Thor.     Square  Island. 

Tetragnatha  cxtensa  (Linn.).     Square  Island. 

Linyphia  Emertonii  Thor.  Square  Island,  and  near 
Dumplin  Harbor. 


lU.lJ 


i?t;':!| 


386 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Square  Island. 
Strawberry  Harbor. 
Strawberry  Harbor. 
Square    Island,    and    near 


Clubiona  frigidula  Thor. 

Gnaphosa  bt'umalzs  Thor. 

Lycosa  grceniandua  Thor. 

Lycosa  furcifera    Thor. 
Dumplin  Harbor. 

Lycosa  fiiscula  Thor.      Strawberry  Harbor. 

Lycosa  labradorensis  Thor.  Strawberry  Harbor  and 
Square  Island. 

Xystic7is  labradorensis  Keys.  K.  K.  Zool.  Bot.  Ges. 
Wien.,  479,  1887.      Ungava  Bay  (Turner). 

Myriopoda. 
JmIus  sp.     Square  Island. 

Insects. 

Ortkoptera. 

Calopte7ius.  A  Pezzotettix-like  species,  with  short 
wings.     Square  Island. 

Odonata. 

Diplaxs\).,utdir  rubicundii/a.  Caribou  Island.  Drag- 
on-flies were  very  rare  on  the  coast,  and  I  saw  none 
north  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

yEschna  sp.  Caribou  Island.  Perhaps  another 
species  (identified  by  Dr.  P.  R.  Uhler)  also  occurred, 
and  an  i^schna-like  form  was  observed  at  Tub  Island. 

Hemiptera, 

Teratocoris  sp. 

Deltocephalus  debilis  Uhler.  Hopedale.  A  few  other 
species  of  Cercopidse  were  seen  at  Caribou  Island. 


iPVi 


I      l,.'1lil 


>:i#! 


BEETLES. 


387 


Trigo7iotylus  ruficoniis  Fallen.     Hopedale. 
Corixa  sp. 

Platyptei'a. 
Pteronarcys  regalis.     Okkak.     Hopedale. 

Plcctoptera. 

Potamanthiis  marginalus  Ztit.  This  boreal  European 
May-fly,  occurring  in  Lapland,  we  have  found  in  abun- 
dance in  southern  Labrador. 

Per  la  sp.     Belles  Amours. 

Chloropcrla  sp.  A  small  greenish  species  was  observed 
at  Strawberry  Harbor. 

Trichoptera. 

Desniatatilius  phuiip'oris  Kol.     Okkak. 

Lininopliihis  siihpiinctidattis  Zett.  This  Lapland  cad- 
dis-fly is  the  most  abundant  species  in  Labrador,  and 
what  are  probably  its  cases  are  common  in  the  pools  of 
fresh  water.  Three  or  four  other  species  also  occurred, 
but  have  not  been  identified.  No  genuine  Nettroptcra 
or  Mccoptcra  (Panorpida^)  occurred. 

COLEOPTERA. 

Lepyrus  colofi  (Linn.).     Cape  Chidley  (R.  Bell). 
Pissodes  ?  sp,      Hopedale. 
Coccinella  laaistris  Lee.     Okkak. 
Leptura  sp.     Caribou  Island. 
Criocephaliis  obsoletus  Randall.     Okkak. 
Ar^aleus:  miens  Lee.     Near  Cape  Harrison. 
Telephortis  fraxini  Say.     Hopedale. 
Podabrus  Icevicollis  Kirby.     Hopedale. 


Ill 


iJSi-i 


388 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


\h 


V-!  r 


Podabriis  mandibiilaris  Kirby.     Caribou  Island. 

Sericosomus  incongruus  Lee,      Square  Island. 

Eanus  vagus  Lee.     Square  Island. 

£.  pieties   (Cand.)    Horn.     {E.    niaciilipennis   Lee.) 
Caribou  Island  to  Square  Island. 

Cryptohypmts  bicolor  Germ.      Belles  Amours,  Straw- 
berry Harbor  and  Indian  Harbor. 

Byrrhus  amcricmius  Lee.      Caribou  Island. 

D,  Kirbyi  Lee.  {B.  picipes^.     Caribou  Island. 

Atomaria.     Not  determined.     Caribou  Island. 

Ips  sanguinolentus  Oliv.     Caribou  Island. 

Blcdius.     Not  determined. 

Qucditts  sublimbatus  Mokl.     Blanc  Sablon  (R.  Bell). 

Tacliyportis  n.  sp.      Hopedale. 

Crcophihis  villosiis  Gray.     Caribou  Island. 

Agathidiuin  obsolctum  Lee.     Square  Island. 

Silpha  Lappouica  Linn.     Caribou  Island  to  Hopedale. 

Philhydrtis  bijidus  Lee.     Caribou  Island. 

Gyrmus picipes  A\xh(t}     Square  Island. 

G.  minutus  Linn.      Square  Island. 

G.  affinis  Aube  ?     Square  Island. 

Colymbctcs  picipcs  Kirby.     Caribou  Island  and  Straw- 
berry Harbor. 

C.  binotatus  Harris  (probably). 

C.  sculptilis  Harris.     Caribou   Island,  Square   Island, 
Hopedale. 
'    C.  710V.  sp.     Square  Island. 

Agabtis parallclns  Lee.     Square  Island. 

A.  longulus  Lee.?     Stupart's  Bay  (R.  Bell). 

A.  anibiguus   Lee.   {A.  infuscatus  Aub^).     Caribou 
Island. 

A.  subfasciahis  Lee.     Caribou  Island. 


BEETLES. 


389 


and, 


A.  semipimctatus  (Kirby).     Caribou  Island. 

A.  IcBvidorsus  Lee.     Caribou  Island. 

A.  piuictiilatus  Aube.     Caribou  Island. 

A.  discolor  Lee.     Indian  Harbor. 

Hydroporics   catascopium    Say.       Square    Island    and 
Dumplin  Harbor. 

H.  tenebrosus  Lee.     Caribou  Island. 

H.  piiberidus    Lee.       Sloop    Harbor   and    Dumplin 
Harbor. 

H.  longicornis.     Stupart's  Bay  (R.  Bell). 

H.  perplexiLs  Shp.     Stupart's  Bay  (R.  Bell). 

Trechus  micaus  Lee.     Belles  Amours. 

Patrobiis  tc7itns  Lee.     Square  Island, 

P.   Jiyperboretts    Dejean.      Belles    Amours,   Strait    of 
Belle  Isle  ;  Cape  Chidley  (R.  Bell). 

Harpalits  Jierbivagus  Say.,  v-diX.proximtcs  Lee.     Square 
Island. 

Amara  oblusa  Lee. 

Aniara,   near  A.   melanogastrica   Esch.,   perbaps  A. 
bninni. 

A.  peiinis  Dej.     Caribou  Island. 

Amara,    "no    name."       Strawberry    Harbor,   Square 
Island,  and  Hopedale. 

A.  similis  Lee.  {Stereoccrtis  siniilis  Kirby).     Caribou 
Island. 

A.    Juematopiis    Kirby.       Sloop    Harbor,    Hopedale, 
Okkak  (S.  VVeiz). 

Pterosticlms  adsir ictus  Esch.,  var.  oriiwniiun   Kirby. 
Mecatina  ;  Gulf  St.  Lawrence. 

Pterostichns  hudsonicus  Lee.     Stupart's  Bay  (R.  Bell). 

Pt.y  speeies  not  determined.     Hopedale,  Tinker  Isl- 
and, off  Cape  Harrison  (Cape  Webuc). 


390 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


H  ' 


%l.i 


Pt.  liiczottii  Dej.     Blanc  Sablon  (R.  Bell). 

Platyniis  simuitus  Dej.  Belles  Amours,  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle. 

Calatlms  ingrains  Dej.     Whole  coast. 

Carabtis  cJiamissonis  Fischer.  Domino  Harbor  and 
Okkak. 

Nebria  Sahlbergii  Fischer.  Sloop  Harbor,  Cape 
Chidley  (R.  Bell).' 

Notiopkilns  Sibirictis  Motsch.  Domino  Harbor, 
Square  Island. 

DiPTERA. 

Scatina  estotilandica  Rondani,  Archiv,  etc.  Canestrini 
iii.,  fasc.  i,  35,  Labrador.  Osten  Sacken  adds  :  Mr. 
Rondani,  in  the  same  place,  mentions  Scatophaga  dia- 
denia  Wiedemann  (Montevideo)  as  having  been  re- 
ceived from  Labrador. 

HclopJiilus  glacialis  Loew.     Stett.  Ent.  Zeit.  vii.,  121. 

Helophi'lus  grcenlandiciis  (O.  Fabr.). 

Do/ichopies sten/ianwiari  Y.Qtt.    Sloop  Harbor,  July  19. 

Tkcrioplectcs  Jiavipes  W  ied. 

Thcrioplcctes  septentrionalis  Loew.  Verb.  Zool.  Bot. 
Ges   Wien.,  1858,  593. 

Tipula  tesscllata  Loew.     Cent,  iv.,  4. 

Tipula  septcnlrionalis  Loew.     Cent,  iv.,  3. 

Micromyia  Icucorurn.  Prof.  C.  W.  Woodworth  writes 
me  that  on  examining  the  collection  of  Diptera  which 
I  made  in  Labrador,  and  which  is  now  in  the  Cambridge 
Museum,  he  detected  the  rare  European  Cecidomyid 
Microinyia  leucoruni,  "  belonging  to  a  genus  hitherto 
unrecorded  for  North  America."  The  collection  consists 
mostly  of  muscids,  with  some  interesting  Empidse. 


1  ?i. 


F,I; 


■■M 


MOTHS. 


391 


Amalopsis  hypcrborca  O.  Sacken.     Monogr.  iv.,  269. 
Dicranoniyia  haltcrata  O.  Sacken.     Monog.  iv.,  71. 

LEPIDOFTERA. 

Tineidcr. 

Glyphipteryx  sp.  Caribou  Island, 

Tinea  fiiscipiuictclla  Haw.  (  =  GicopJwra  fri^idclla 
Pack.).     Caribou  and  Square  Islands. 

CEcopliora  sp.      Hopedale. 

Incurvaria  labradorella  Clem.     Caribou  Island. 

Ornix  boreasclla  Clem.     Caribou  Island. 

Tinea  spilotcUa  Tengstrom.  Caribou  Island,  Square 
Island,  "  Okkak.  June."     Christoph. 

Gelechia  continnella  Zell.  Moeschl.  ('  =  trimaculella 
Pack.).     Strawberry  Harbor. 

Gelechia  labradorica  Moeschl.     Moravian  Stations. 

Gelechia  bmmella  Clem.     Caribou  Island. 

TortricidcB. 

Grapholitha  nebnlosana  Pack.     Strawberry  Harbor. 

Phoxopteris  plagosana  (Clem.).  Caribou  Island  and 
Square  Island. 

Phoxopteris  tineana  Hubn.  (Pandemis  leucophale- 
rata  Pack.).      Hopedale. 

Sericoris  bipartitana  (Clem.).     Caribou  Island. 

Pccdisca  solicitajia  (Walk.)  (Halonota  packardiana 
Clem.).     Caribou  Island. 

Sericoris  tnrfosana  H.  S. 

Sericoris glacia)iay\.QQ<=>Q\i\.     Whole  coast;  common. 

Penthina  cnprcana  (Hiibn.). 

Penthina  murina  Pack.     Caribou  Island. 


'A  ,:| 


Kl 


(,  I 


392 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


PeiitJiina  scptentriojiana  Curtis.  Sloop  and  Straw- 
berry Harbors.     (Polar  regions,  Curtis.) 

Pent Ji ilia  micrjm'stana  (Clem.).  (P.  tessellana  Pack.). 
Caribou  Island  to  Hopedale. 

Poithina  frii^idana  Pack. 

Cone Jiy lis  dentschiana  Zetterstedt  (Lozopera  ?  fusco- 
strigana  Clem.  ;  C.  chalcaiia  Pack.). 

SciapJiila  osscana  Scopoli  (Ablabia  pratana  Iliibn.) 

SciapJiila  niocsc/i/criana  (VVrcke). 

Sciapliila  uivcosana  Pack.  Moravian  Stations,  Au- 
£l^ust. 

PyraIid(C. 

Crtivibus  ■>:vistri(itcllus  Pack.     Caribou  Island. 

Cra))i{)ns  aroillacccllus  Pack.     Square  Island. 

CriDnbns  triclioslonuts  Christoph.   Moravian  Stations. 

Cr ambus  labradorcnsis  Christoph.      "  Okkak,  July." 

Crambus  albellus  Q\q:\w.  Mouth  of  Esquimaux  River, 
Aug.  3. 

Cra)}d)us  inornatcll us  Q\q.xx\.     Caribou  Island,  July  15. 

Scoparia  crnturic/ia  Sv.  {Pcmpclia  fusca  Harv. 
Endorca  /  frigidclla  Pack. ). 

Endorea  /   albisinuatclla  Pack.      Okkak. 

Pyrausta  borcalis  Pack.      Square  Island. 

Pyraiista  cpJiippialis  Zcttst. 

J\raitsta  torvalis  Moeschl. 

P/iiyiiavna  inquinatalis  Zell.  (Scopulaglacialis  Pack.). 
Hopedale. 

PJialc^cnidcc. 

Eupitliccia  lutcata  Pack.     Caribou  Island.  July. 
EupitJiccia  gclidala  Moeschl.      Moravian  Stations. 
Glaiuopteryx  ccesiata  (S.  V.).     Whole  coast. 


MOTHS. 


393 


Gla7icoptc7'yx polata  (Dupon.).     Whole  coast. 

ii laucoptcryx phocaiaria  (Moeschl.).  Moravian  Sta- 
tions. 

Epirrita  dilntata  (Borkh.).     Moravian  Stations. 

J^ctropJiora  tnincata  (Hufn.).     Whole  coast. 

Pctrophora  priinata  (Linn.).    •  Whole  coast. 

l\'trophora  populixta  (Linn.).     Whole  coast. 

Pctrophora  suspcctata  (Moeschl.).    Moravian  Stations. 

Ochyria  viunitaria  Iliibn.,  and  var.  labradorcnsis 
Pack.     Caribou  Island. 

Ochyria  abrasaria  H.  Sch.     Caribou  Island. 

RJicuuiaptcra  lugiibrata   Stand.      Whole  coast. 

Rhcnniaptcra  hastata  (Linn.).     Whole  coast. 

Rhciimaplcra  disccplaria  (F.  R.).     Moravian  Stations. 

Triphosa  did)itaria  (Linn.).     Caribou  Island. 

Semioihisa  dispuncta  (Walk.).  (Sex-maculata  Pack.). 
Square  Island. 

Anaitis  sororaria  Iliibn.     Moravian  Stations. 

Aspilatcs gilvaria  S.  V^.      Moravian  Stations. 

Acidalia  scntinaria  Iliibn.      Moravian  Stations. 

Acidalia  Jrigidaria  Moeschl.     Moravian  Stations. 

NoctitidcB. 

Brcphos parthcnias  (\J[ux\?).    Moravian  Stations. 
Pliisia  u-aiirciim  Boisd.     Moravian  Stations. 
Plnsia parilis  Iliibn.      Moravian  Stations. 
Plusia  divcrocns  Fabr      Moravian  Stations. 
Anarta  funcsta  (Thunberg).     Moravian  Stations. 
Anarta  mclaiiopa  (Thun.).     Moravian  Stations. 
Anarta     Melaleuca    (Thun.).       Moravian     Stations. 
Whole  coast. 


mw& 


f^m 


394 


THE   Z()Ol/)(iV    OK   THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


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Auar/a  vidua  Christoph.     Moravian  Stations. 

Anarta  cordigera  (Thun.).     Moravian  Stations. 

Anarta  algida  Lef.     Moravian  Stations. 

Anarta  lapponica  (Thun.).     Moravian  Stations. 

Anarta  schonherri  Zett.     Moravian  Stations. 

Anarta  zcttcrstedtii  Staud.     Moravian  Stations. 

Hadena  cxulis  Lef.     Moravian  Stations. 

Hadcna  cxornata  Moeschl.     Moravian  Stations. 

Pachnobia  carnca  Tliun.  Moravian  Stations.  Whole 
coast. 

PacJmobia  okakensi's.     Packard.     Okkak. 

JMatncstra  arctica  Boisd.      Whole  coast. 

Dianthoecia  subdita  Moeschl.     Moravian  Stations. 

Diantlioecia  pJioca  Moeschl.     Moravian  Stations. 

Noctua  rava  H.  Sch.  (umbratus  Pack.).  Moravian 
Stations. 

A  gratis  septeiitrionalis  Moeschl.     Moravian  Stations. 

Agrotis  fusca  Boisd.     Moravian  Stations. 

Agrotis  Wockei  Moeschl.     Moravian  Stations. 

Agrotis  spcciosa  Hiibn.     Moravian  Stations. 

Agrotis  coinparata  Moeschl.      Moravian  Stations. 

Agrotis  dissona  Moeschl.      Moravian  Stations. 

Agrotis  conflua  Tr.     Moravian  Stations. 

Agrotis  littoralis  Pack.     Caribou  Island. 

Lciuania  rufostrigata  Pack.     Caribou  Island. 

Liparidce. 

Maria  Rossii  (Curtis).     Whole  coast, 

ArctiidcB, 

Arctia  Quenselii  Paykull.     Whole  coast. 

Platarctia  borealis  (Moeschler).     Moravian  Stations. 

Euprepia  caja  (Linn.).     Whole  coast. 


BUTTERFLIES. 


395 


Ilcpialidcc. 

Hcpialus  lahradoricnsis  Pack.      Caribou  Island. 
Jlepuiiiis  liyperborcus  Moeschler.      Moravian  Stations. 

*   RllOTALUCKRA. 

BrcntJiis  cJiariclca  (Schneid.).  This  is  the  Argynnis 
hoisduvahi  of  the  previous  list.  A  detailed  description 
of  the  species,  drawn  up  exclusively  from  American 
material,  will  be  found  in  the  Proc.  Bost.  Nat.  Hist. 
Soc,  Vol.  xvii.,  p.  297,  where  most  of  the  other  species 
are  described.  Caribou  Island,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  and 
from  Square  Island  northward.  July  14 — August  3. 
Abundant. 

Brentkis  triclaris  (Hiibn.)  =  Argynnis  triclaris  of  the 
previous  list.  Caribou  Island  to  Hopedale,  July  14 — 
August  3. 

Brentkis  polaris  (Boisd.)  =  Argynnis  polaris  of  the 
former  list.  From  Square  Island  northward.  July  14 
— August  3. 

Brentkis  frigga  (Thunb.)  =  Argynnis  frigga  of  the 
former  list.     Okkak.      (Rev.  S.  Weiz.) 

Eugonia  j-albunt  (Boisd.-Lec.)  =  Grapta  interroga- 
tionis  of  the  previous  list.     Okkak.     (Rev.  S.  Weiz.) 

Qineis  jutta  Hlibn.  =  Chionobas  jutta  of  previous 
list.     Square  Island,  July  14;   Hopedale,  August  3. 

*  A  revised  list  of  the  butterflies  obtained  in  Labrador  by  Dr.  A.  S.  Packard, 
by  Samuel  H.  Scudder.  (The  list  was  prepared  for  use  in  the  present  work. 
The  species  have  been  arranged  in  the  descending  order  by  the  author.)  In 
1866  I  published  a  list  of  Dr.  Packard's  collections  in  the  Proceedings  of  the 
Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  vol.  xi.  The  present  list  is  merely  a  rede- 
termination of  the  same  material,  in  the  light  of  larger  collections  since  seen. 
The  same  order  as  before  is  followed.  The  specimens  are  mostly  in  my  collec- 
tion and  in  that  of  the  Museum  of  Comparative  Zoology. — S.  H.  S. 


i  ■if '• 
^iiiliillfc: 


I'  ■> 
it 


396 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  I  ABRADOR  COAST. 


CEnci's  bore  (Esp.)  =  Chionobas  bore  of  former  list. 
I  I()()L'(lale,  Aug.  3. 

(lincis  ceno  (Boisd.)  =  Chionobas  oeno  of  former  list. 
Strawberry  Hari)or  ;   Hopedale,  August  3. 

Agriadcs  lujuilo  (Boisd.)  =  Lycaena  aquilo  of  former 
list.  Sloop  Harbor,  July  19;  Henley  Harbor,  August 
15;    Hopedale,  Aug.  3. 

Picri'i  frigida  Scudd.  I  have  not  re-examined  this. 
Caribou  island.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  July  14-30. 

Eurymus  labradorensis  (Scudd.).  This  is  the  Colias 
palceno,  as  well  as  the  C .  labradorensis  of  the  previous 
list.  The  specimen  referred  to  the  former  being  of  the 
same  species  as  the  latter.  I  will  not  here  venture  on  a 
discussion  as  to  the  validity  of  the  spccilic  name  retained 
here,  but  as  the  species  was  described  and  figured  suffi- 
ciently for  determination,  and  is  the  common  form  in 
south-eastern  Labrador,  it  is  easily  identifiable.  Caribou 
Island  to  Hopedale,  July  14 — August  3. 

[We  add  the  following  extract  from  W.  H.  Edwards, 
Can.  Ent.  xxi.  67.  Chionobas  semidea  Say  "also  flies 
within  the  Arctic  circle,  as  far  north  as  Cumberland 
Island,  and  in  Labrador."] 


\      ■ 

\ 

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iliil 

^fo 

TuNicATEs  (Ascidians). 

Didernnium  roseum  Sars.     Hopedale,  10  f. 
Ascidia  callosa  Stimps.    -Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  40-50  f. 
Glanditla  glutinans  M oiler.     Henley  Harbor,  6  f. 
Cynthia  pyriformis  Rathke.      Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 
Cynthia   vwnoceros    Moll.     (C  condylomata    Pack.). 
Caribou  Island,  8  f. 

Cynthia  echinata  (Linn.).     Chateau  Bay,  50  f. 


FISHES. 


397 


Cynthia  carnca  h^.  (C.  placenta  Pack.).  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle,  40  f.;  Henley  Harbor,  10-20  f.;  Cateau 
Harbor,  15  f. 

Pelonaia  aroiifcra  Stimps.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  15  f. 

Boitenia  holtcni  (Linn.).     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 


Fishes. 

Somniosus  microcephalus  (Block).  "Sleeper  shark." 
Not  rare  all  alonii^  the  coast.     (Stearns.) 

Scomber  vcrna/is  Mitch.  A  few  mackerel  are  taken 
in  Au<^ust  in  Salmon  Bay  and  Red  Bay.  The  Strait  of 
Belle  Isle  is  evidently  the  northern  limit  of  this  genus. 

Pygostcus  Cuvieri  Brevoorti.  {Gastcrostcus  Cnvicri 
Girard ;  Gastcrostcus  biaculeatiis  Auct.  iii  part).  A 
large  number  of  specimens  from  a  tidal  fresh-water 
spring,  near  Salmon  RivTr,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

Animodytcs  dubius  Reinhardt.  Four  specimens  from 
Sloop  Harbor,  collected  in  July.  They  differ  from  the 
A.  aviericanus  of  our  coast  in  having  a  much  longer 
body.  This  species  is  probably  the  American  one  con- 
sidered by  some  authors  as  the  A.  tobian?is.     (Putnam.) 

Scbastcs  norvcgicHs  Cuv.  Young  specimens  were 
dredged  in  fifteen  fathoms. 

Gyinnacantluis  patris  (Storer).  T'lree  specimens 
from  Henley  Harbor,  collected  in  July. 

Cottus  scorpioldcs  Fabr.     Sculpin.      (Stearns.) 

Cottus  grcenlandicus  Cuv.  and  Val.  Northern  sculpin. 
(Stearns.) 

Gymnacanthtis pistilliger  (Pallas).     (Stearns.) 

Hippoglossoides platessoides  Fabr.  Arctic  dab.  Com- 
mon in  harbors.     (Stearns.) 


mm 

^^^g^^jA 

398 


THE   ZOOLOCiY   OF  THE    LABRADOR  COAST. 


ii 


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h'ii         ;^ 

ll 

':     ! 

.   '    ! 

lit '  I 

^Btl '' 

Plcuroncctes  americanus  Walb.  I'lounder.  Whole 
southern  coast.     (Stearns.) 

Cycloptcrits  lump  its  Linn.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 

(iculits  aroiosiis  Mitcliill.  Eight  specimens  from 
Sloop  Harbor,  collected  in  July.  From  a  can  com- 
parison I  am  satisfied  that  these  specimens  are  the  same 
species  as  the  common  cod  of  New  England,  the  (radits 
and  Morrhua  a))U'rica)ia  of  authors,  and  which  Prof. 
Gill  considers  as  identical  with  the  Gadiis  arenosus  of 
Mitchill.  Prof.  Gill  also  has  considered  specimens  of 
the  cod  from  Labrador,  which  he  had  examined,  as  iden- 
tical with  our  common  s:)ecies.     (l^utnam.) 

It  happened  that  our  vessel  touched  at  th  difTerent 
harbors  from  Mecatina  Island  in  the  St.  La"  rence  Gulf 
to  llopcdale,  a  distance  of  over  six  luuu'  ed  r  'es,  at 
times  when  the  cod  was  successively  maki'  g  itj  t  ap- 
pearance. Thus  at  Gore  Island,  near  T.ittle  Mecatina 
Island,  we  found  the  cod  was  just  begi'  .ling  to  be  taken 
by  the  fishe'-men.  June  i6,  A  few  w  -'"c  seined  July  6th, 
at  Squar<.^  Island,  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  ^uly  i2th  they 
were  evidently  breeding,  as  the  females  w  r*^  full  of 
spawn,  their  livers  poor,  with  little  oil  in  them,  a.  !  Hie 
fish  were  generally  in  poor  condition.  At  Tub  Islaui 
Harbor,  which  is  situated  on  the  south  side  of  Hamilton 
Inlet,  the  fishery  had  not  begun  July  17th.  Three  days 
later  a  few  were  seined  at  Sloop  Harbor,  on  the  north 
side  of  Hamilton  or  Invuctoke  Inlet,  while  at  Strawberry 
Harbor,  about  fifty  miles  to  the  northward,  they  were 
caught  in  abundance  on  the  25th  of  July.  The  season 
was  so  cold  and  stormy,  owing  to  the  presence  of  the 
drift  ice  in  an  unusual  quantity,  and  for  a  much  longer 
period  than  for  many  years  previous,  that  the  fishery 


KISIIES. 


399 


\vas  almost  a  failur(\  scarjely  half  as  many  fish  havino^ 
been  taken  as  during  the  preceding  year.  It  was  the 
same  with  the  salmon  and  the  capelin. 

The  "  rock  cod,"  or  dnjfy,  as  it  is  termed  by  the  fisher- 
men, which  they  consider  less  valuable  than  the  deep 
water  cod,  swarms  about  the  boats  when  the  fisherman 
are  seining  the  capelin,  and  are  seen  snapping  them  up. 

Ciadns  oi^ac  Richardson,  (jreenland  codfish.   (Stearns.) 

Mi'r/uei'its  vit/i^aris  Fleming?  I  was  told  by  a  fisher- 
man that  he  had  taken  but  one  hake  during  a  jieriod  of 
forty  summers  spent  on  this  coast.  lie  had  never  seen 
a  haddock  on  this  coast.  Both  of  these  species  are 
abundant  at  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Lawrence  in  Bay 
Chaleur. 

Brosviius  flavescnis  Lesueur  ?  A  "  cusk"  was  caught 
in  eighty  fathoms  in  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle.  The  speci- 
men is  in  the  Collection  of  the  Lyceum  of  Natural  His- 
tory, Williams  College. 

Sabuo  salar  Linn.  Owing  to  the  great  lowcrixig  of 
the  climate  by  the  drift  ice,  the  salmon  fishery  was  al- 
most a  failure  this  season.  The  fishery  had  just  begun 
at  Henley  Harbor,  opposite  Belle  Isle,  on  the  28th  of 
June,  i86j.  At  Square  Island  they  were  not  netted  be- 
fore the  I  2th  of  July  ;  here  they  disappear  usually  about 
the  15th  of  August.  July  23d  they  had  not  appeared  at 
this  point.  At  Thomas  Bay,  near  Cape  Harrison,  they 
appeared  on  the  2 2d  of  July.  At  this  place  the  salmon 
was  said  to  disappear  about  the  20th  of  August.  At 
Groswater  Bay,  (Hamilton  Inlet),  only  two  hundred 
tierces  were  taken  during  the  whole  season,  when  usually 
five  times  that  number  are  caught. 

The  salmon  remains  upon  the  coast  at  the  mouth  of 


1 

1  ■ 

i 

• 

:lM 


ippip 


I  I'); 

111 


400 


THE   ZOOLOGY   OF   THE    LARRADOR   COAST, 


Streams  about  a  month,  during  the  Labrador  mid-summer,, 
which  corresponds  in  temperature  to  that  of  the  middle 
of  May  in  New  England. 

At  Hopedale  the  sahnon  is  quite  rare,  and  I  was  in- 
formed that  it  was  not  common  north  of  this  point.  It 
seems  to  be  a  rare  species  in  Greenland,  thus  showing 
the  close  correspondence  of  the  climate  of  the  Labrador 
coast  in  latitude  57°  to  that  of  the  southern  coast  of 
Greenland.  One  young  specimen  from  a  tidal  stream 
at  Belles  Amours,  Strait  of  Belle  Isle,  was  collected  June 
28th. 

Salmo  iiiwiaciilatus  II.  K.  Storer.  Three  specimens 
from  near  Hopedale  were  collected  July  29th.  These 
specimens  are  unquestionably  referable  to  the  S.  immacii- 
latus  of  Storer,  and  arc  distinct  from  the  S.  triitta  of 
Europe,  with  which  species  Perley  and  others  have  con- 
founded them.  They  differ  from  S.  triilta  by  having 
larger  scales,  and  being  without  spots,  as  their  name  in- 
dicates.    (Putnam.) 

Saluw  sp?  Two  specimens  from  the  Island  of  Ponds, 
near  Domino  Harbor,  collected  in  July.  This  species, 
which,  from  its  rather  imperfect  condition,  I  have  not 
been  able  to  recognize,  appears  to  be  closelv  allied  to 
the  S.  triittavii  Europe,  being  spotted  as  in  that  species, 
but  of  somewhat  different  shape,  especially  of  the  head. 
There  are  also  specimens  from  Greenland  belonging  to 
diis  species  in  the  collection  of  this  vSociety,  collected  by 
tne  Williams  College  expedition  to  Greenland  and  Lab- 
rador in  i860.     (Putnam.) 

Sabno  Jmdsonicus  Suckley.  Three  specimens  from  a 
tidal  pond  of  brackish  water  on  Square  Island  were  col- 
lected July   15th.     These  specimens  are  identical  with 


^.v 


FISHES. 


401 


those  mentioned  by  Dr.  H.  R.  Storer  as  S.  foutinalis, 
which  Dr.  Suckley  referred  to  his  6'.  Jmdsonicus  ;  but 
from  a  comparison  of  the  limited  number  of  specimens, 
I  am  yet  in  doubt  whether  the  Labrador  brook  trout 
differs  specifically  from  tlie  S.  fotitinalis  of  New  Eng- 
land.    (Putnam.) 

Afa//ol2ts  villosiis  Cuv.  The  capelin,  capelina  of  the 
Portuguese  fisherman  (Parkhurst,  1578),  was  very  late 
in  making  its  appearance  on  the  coast  this  season,  owing 
to  the  great  quantity  of  ice,  which  likewise  detained  the 
cod.  At  Square  Island,  the  12th  of  July  was  the  earliest 
date  of  their  appearance  in  great  numbers.  July  4th, 
the  young,  about  one  inch  in  length,  were  seen  swim- 
ming in  the  water,  their  bodies  very  transparent,  so  as 
to  enable  the  vertebraj  and  ribs  to  be  distinctly  seen,  and 
provided  with  very  plainly  marked  heterocercal  tails,  in 
the  upper  and  larger  fork  of  which  the  vertebral  column 
terminated. 

The  capelin  spawns  on  pebbly  shores  near  the  water's 
edge,  and  I  was  informed  by  two  fisheruKm  who  had 
each  observed  the  act,  that  during  the  spawning  of  the 
female,  two  males  swim  close  to  her  and  press  her  be- 
tween them,  being  enabled  by  the  large  and  prominent 
ridge  on  the  sides  of  tlie  body  to  retain  the  female  in 
tliis  position  between,  and  a  little  below  them,  so  that  as 
the  eggs  are  pressed  out  tliey  are  fecundated  by  both 
males.  This  probably  accounts  for  the  much  greater 
proportion  of  males  to  the  other  sex,  as  in  a  boat- 
load of  these  fish  it  was  often  difficult  to  find  a  single 
female. 

A  very  close  observer,  the  late  Capt.  Nathaniel  E. 
Atwood,  who  fished  as  far  north  as  Groswater  Bay  as 
female. 


IJfJ' 


It  ' 


402 


THE   ZOOLOGY   OF  THE   LABRADOR  COAST, 


I    ' 


1  ,,  ,  ;      : 

t:l     '          1 

fc         :| 

early  as  18 19,  tells  us  in  his  autobigraphy  :*  "  When  the 
capelin  came  on  the  coast  the  first  that  arrived  were 
males.  You  can  tell  the  male  from  the  female  by  ex- 
ternal signs,  so  as  to  distinguish  the  sexes  perfectly  well. 
When  the  males  had  been  on  the  coast  about  a  week, 
then  came  a  mixture  of  females.  They  look  very  much 
like  a  smelt,  and  are  soft  and  full  of  spawn.  We  did  not 
use  them  for  food.  On  an  average  about  one-tenth  of 
the  capelin  were  females.  When  jy  had  deposited 
their  spawn  the  males  deposited  their  milt  and  made  the 
whole  water  white.  Then  the  females  went  off.  Soon 
after  the  fishing  slacked  off,  and  we  used  to  say  they 
were  capelin  sick." 

According  to  information  received  from  intelligent 
fishermen,  the  capelin  remains  upon  the  coast  the  year 
round,  but  in  winter  retires  to  deep  water.  Is  it  not 
probable  that  the  cod  has  the  same  habit  of  going  from 
deep  water  in-shore  and  to  elevated  "  banks,"  for  the  pur- 
pose of  spawning  during  the  spring  and  summer  ;  and  in 
the  winter  of  retiring  to  depths  inaccessible  to  the  fish- 
erman ?  Should  the  cod  be  found  to  present  local  vari- 
eties at  intervals  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  as  seems  prob- 
ably the  case,  it  would  be  a  natural  inference  that  it  did 
not  migrate  for  hundreds  of  miles  northward,  following 
the  coming  of  spring  from  Massachusetts  to  Hudson's 
Bay.  It  is  abundant  in  Massachusetts  Bay  and  on  the 
coast  of  Maine  during  the  same  time  in  summer  that  it 
abounds  on  the  Labrador  coast  and  in  Greenland.  All 
the  facts  observed  by  us  tend  to  prove  that  the  cod  docs 
not  migrate  extensively,  as  commonly  supposed. 

*  U.  S.  Commission  of   Fish  and  Fisheries.     The  Fishery  Industries  of   tlie 
United  States.     Section  IV.  Fishermen,  1887.  p.  151. 


nfmF 


THE    HERRING    FISHERY. 


403 


lloc; 


It   me 


Clupca  harcngtis,  Linn.  The  herring  fishery  begins 
ill  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  during  the  middle  of  August. 

after  the  cod  fishery  is  over.  The  fact  elicited  from 
several  intelligent  fishermen,  that  the  herring  does  not 
spawn  abundantly  upon  the  coast  of  Northern  Labrador, 
that  is,  above  the  Mingan  Islands,  but  visits  the  coast  in 
schools  after  the  breeding  season  is  over,  while  it  breeds 
al)undantly  on  the  coast  of  New  Brunswick,  at  BayCha- 
leur,  the  Magdalen  Islands,  and  on  the  southern  coast  of 
Newfoundland,  affords  excellent  data  for  limiting  the 
southern  boundary  of  the  Arctic  fish  fauna  on  the  eastern 
Atlantic  coast.  This  line  agrees  with  what  we  have  de- 
fined* as  the  southern  limits  of  the  "  Syrtcnsian  Fauna," 
which  as  an  assemblage  peoples  the  coast  of  Labrador, 
and  extends  around  the  northern  shore  of  the  continent 
into  Hudson's  Bay  ;  and  southward,  follows  the  line  of 
floating  ice,  thus  partially  excluding  Anticosti,  embracing 
the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  the  banks  Ivino^  off"  Nova 

*  Scotia  and  New  England,  such  as  Jeff'ries  and  St. 
George's  Banks,  and  more  faintly  indicated  on  those 
banks  of  New  Jersey  which  are  swept  by  the  southern 
extension  of  the  Labrador  or  Polar  current.  An  outlier 
of  it  is  also  found  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bay  of  Fundy. 
On  the  southern  shores  of  Newfoundland,  which  are 
partially  protected  from  the  Polar  current  sweeping  by 
to  the  eastward,  upon  which  the  Gulf  Stream  slightly 
impinges,  though  with  a  much  diminished  force,  the 
herring  breeds,  as  here  the  species  is  surrounded  by 
physical  and  climatic  conditions  very  precisely  corre- 
sponding to  those  of  Nova  Scotia  and  Maine,  thus  con- 

*  Canadian  Naturalist  and  Geologist,     Dec,  1863. 


WW 

n'l 

-^"       :j 

:  ■ 

i  ! 


i.  r 


f  "( 


404 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


stituting  an  outlying  area  isolated  from,  and  yet  belong- 
ing to  the  Acadian  district  or  fauna.  Therefore  it  ap- 
pears that  the  line  of  floating  ice,  which  extends  down 
the  coast  of  Labrador  as  far  as  the  Mingan  Islands,  is  the 
northward  limit  of  the  haddock  and  mackerel,  while  the 
herring,  a  member  of  the  Acadian  fauna,  does  not  breed 
in  any  comparative  abundance  north  of  this  point.  Tiic 
distribution  of  Radiates,  Mollusca,  Articulates,  and 
Fishes  thus  agrees  very  closely  on  the  northeastern 
shores  of  the  continent. 

One  person  at  Henley  Harbor  takes  upon  the  average 
eight  hundred  quintals  during  the  short  summer  season, 
and  cures  them  there.  A  few  herring  were  seined  at 
Square  Island  on  July  6. 

I  find  in  a  lecture  on  the  Herring  Fishery  by  M.  A. 
Warren,  Esq.,  who  owns  one  of  the  largest  fishing  estab- 
lishments on  the  coast  of  Labrador,  some  ol)scrvations 
on  the  herring  as  observed  in  Labrador  and  Newfound- 
land, which  are  here  quoted,  as  the  article  is  not  likely* 
to  fiiU  into  the  hands  of  American  naturalists. 

"The  female  herring  in  Newfoundland  come  near  the 
shore  in  moderate  weather,  and  deposit  their  spawn, 
generally  at  night,  in  from  3  to  5  fathoms  of  water.  The 
males  follow  and  shed  their  milt  over  it."  ..."  It  is 
impossible,  without  seeing  it,  to  form  any  idea  of  the 
prodigious  abundance  of  the  ova  of  the  herring  yearly 
deposited  in  Fortune  Bay,  and  other  of  tiie  favorite 
spawning-beds  of  the  herring.  Tiie  water  will  at  limes 
be  seen  white  with  milt  for  many  acres."  ..."  From 
personal  observation,  and  from  all  the  information  I  can 
obtain,  I  believe  there  are  several  schulcs  of  herring  that 
come  in  on  different  portions  of  our  coast  to  spawn.     It 


^l>  -  ,  !. 


m 


iM 


■Hiiiiiiilii 


BATRACIIIANS. 


405 


is  certain  there  are  several  varieties  of  the  common  her- 
ring ditfering  in  size,  shape,  and  solidity  of  flesh.  In 
Fortune  Bay  the  spawn  is  deposited  in  the  months  of 
March  and  April ;  in  St.  George's  Bay,  in  the  month  of 
May,  and  a  fortnight  later  on  St.  Barbc's.  My  impres- 
sion is  that  on  the  southern  shore  of  the  Labrador  coast 
the  spawn  is  deposited  in  June,  or  early  in  July.  During 
the  months  of  August  and  September  the  Lnbrndor 
coast  from  Mecatina  to  Bear  Island  is  visited  by  vast 
shoals  of  large  fat  herring,  which  have  in  them  neither 
roe  nor  milt.  I  consider  these  herring,  by  their  size  and 
appearance,  to  be  of  the  same  species  or  the  same  shoal 
as  those  which  spawned  in  St.  George's  Bay,  in  May  or 
in  June,  on  the  Labrador  coast,  and  which  pass  on  in 
September  and  October  to  the  Arctic  waters,  or  more 
probably  to  the  dc})th  of  the  ocean. 

"  Of  laie  years  herring-seines  have  been  much  used  on 
the  Labrador  coast,  almost  entirely  superseding  the  use 
of  nets,  to  the  manifest  injury  of  the  fishing  population. 
These  immense  seines,  most  of  them  more  than  one 
hundred  and  twenty  fathoms  long,  often  enclose  over 
three  thousand  barrels  of  herring.  During  the  fust  two 
to  three  years  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  seines  were 
used  on  the  coast  by  Nova  Scotia  fishermen." 

Batraciiia. 


Raita  scptcntrionalis  Baird.  Okkak.  Frogs  were 
heard  and  seen  at  Stag  Bay,  Domino  Harbor,  Lewis 
Bay,  Henley  Harbor,  and  on  the  coast  of  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence. 

Btifo  ainericana  Lee.     Salmon  Bay. 


4o6 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


ill 


PletJiodon  ghUinosa  Baird  ?  A  salamander  of  a  dark 
slate  color,  with  a  paler  dorsal  stripe  was  observed  at 
Belles  Amours. 

Birds. 


'i.ii 


I    ! 


I"1     V 


►     I 


:  ■  i'     I 

^i 

|ii|  i. . 

H^'|, '  ■ 

1  -i: 

iii  r 

,.f  (  1 

i'^ 

mki 

1'^:    1 


LIST  OF  THE  BIRDS  OF  LABRADOR,  INCLUDING  UNGAVA, 
EAST  MAIN,  MOOSE,  AND  GULF  DISTRICTS  OF  THE  HUD- 
SON BAY  COMPANY,  TOGETHER  WITH  THE  ISLAND  OF 
ANTICOSTI* 

The  scope  of  country  intended  to  be  embraced  with- 
in the  above  heading  is  bounded  on  the  north  by  Hud- 
son Strait,  extending  from  east  to  west ;  on  the  east  by 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  ;  on  the  south  by  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence  to  where  the  parallel  of  50  degrees  north  lati- 
tude strikes  the  land,  then  west  to  the  intersection  of  the 
82d  degree  of  east  longitude.  The  western  boundary  is 
the  82d  degree  of  west  longitude  north  to  Hudson  Strait. 

The  period  during  which  my  own  observations  were 
made  extends  from  June  15,  1882,  to  October  3,  1884. 

The  principal  scene  of  my  investigations  was  in  the 
vicinity  of  Fort  Chimo,  situated  about  27  miles  up  the 
Koksoak  River,  flowing  into  Ungava  Bay,  which  is  an 
immense  pocket  towards  the  eastern  portion  of  the  south 
side  of  tludson  Strait.  At  this  place  I  remained  from 
August  6,  1882,  to  September  4,  1884. 

The  southern  portions  of  the  country  are  ei.iirely  sub 
atctic  in  character,  while  the  northern  portions  are 
strictly  arctic. 

The  topography  of  the   region  is  so   diversified  that 


*  By  Lucien  M.  Turner.  Reprinted  by  the  author's  permission  from  the 
Proceedings  of  the  U.  S.  National  Museum,  1885,  pp.  233-254.  Revised  and 
brought  down  to  1891,  by  J.  A,  Allen. 


■iivfiw 


HIKDS. 


407 


even  a  scanty  description  is  impracticable  in  this  connec- 
tion. 

The  climate  is  scarcely  less  diverse,  the  range  of  the 
thermometer  at  Fort  Chimo  being,  for  the  period  men- 
tioned above,  86t^  degrees  for  the  maximum,  and  just 
50  degrees  below  zero  for  the  minimum,  giving  a  range 
of  136.5  degrees  for  that  period. 

Winter  begins  (zero  of  temperature)  about  the  ist  of 
November  and  continues  to  the  last  of  April.  Snow 
falls  every  month  in  the  year,  and  the  lowest  temperature 
of  each  month  in  the  year  is  never  above  tlie  freezing 
point.  The  warmest  night  showed  only  54  degrees. 
Snow  remains  from  the  last  of  September  to  the  end  of 
May  ;  snow-shoes  have  been  used  as  late  as  the  19th  of 
May.  Rain  seldom  falls  before  the  iith  of  May,  and 
rarely  after  the  middle  of  October. 

The  bird-life  is  abundant  in  individuals  if  not  in  species^ 
Some  of  the  birds  which  most  certainly  occur  within  the 
territory,  yet  of  which  no  satisfactory  evidence  of  actual 
occurrence  has  been  recorded,  are  with  one  or  two 
exceptions  omitted  for  obvious  reasons.  Tringa  inarz- 
tima,  for  instance,  certainly  occurs  somewhere  along  the. 
coast,  but  has  not  been  detected  and  recorded  ;  t.he  same 
with  species  of  Fulix. 

Reference  is  made  to  the  following  authorities,  and 
extracts  made  without  comment  or  responsibility  for 
their  assertions  : 

Audubon,  J.  J.  Birds  of  America;  seven  volumes,  published 
from  TS40  to  1844. 

Nuttall.     Manual  of  Ornithology,  rd  edition,  1840. 

Verrill,  A.  E.  Notes  on  the  Natural  History  of  Anticosti, 
summer  of  1861.  Proceedings  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Natural 
History,  vol.  ix.,  pp.  132  to  150,  inclusive. 


■:{ 


•  'I 


* 

r 

H:! 

m. 

K^^^H 

i\- 

■f* ;  ■ 

M 

r. 

1 

1 

kibittbm. 

408 


THE   ZOOLOCiY   OF   THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


Coues,  E.  Notes  on  the  Ornithology  of  Labrador,  summer  of 
i860.  Proceedings  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences  of  Phil- 
adelphia, August,  1861,  pp.  215  to  257,  inclusive. 

Stearns,  W.  A.     Notes  on  the  Natural  History  of  Labrador 
(with  few  additions  on  authority  of  Coues),  i88o-'8i-'82,  pp.  iii 
to   138.  inclusive,  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  United  States  Na 
tional  Museum,  18S3. 

Brewster,  William.  Notes  on  the  Birds  observed  during  a 
summer  cruise  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  Proceedings  ot 
tlie  Boston  Society  of  Natural  History,  vol.  xxii.,  pp.  364  to  412, 
inclusive,  October  3,  1883. 

Richardson's  Fauna  Boreali-Americana,  vol.  ii. 

Kumlien,  L.  Bulletin  of  the  United  States  National  Museum. 
No.  15.  Contributions  to  the  Natural  History  of  Arctic  Amer- 
ica, made  in  connection  with  the  Howgate  Polar  Expedition, 
i877-'78.     Washington,  1879,  pp.  69  to  105. 

[The  followinji;,  mostly  issued  since  the  pubhcation  of 
Mr.  Turner's  paper,  are  of  interest  as  bearing  upon  the 
bird-fauna  of  Labrador  : 


1-    ^!         \ 
/       '  '         '■• 


n  \ 


Stearns,  \V.  A.  Bird-life  in  Labrador,  American  Field,  April 
26-Oct.  II,  1890.  A  series  of  twenty-five  articles,  giving  at 
length  the  author's  ol)servations  on  the  birds  of  Labrador. 

Merriam,  Dr.  C.  Hart.  List  of  birds  ascertained  to  occur 
within  ten  miles  of  Point  de  Monts,  Province  of  Ouel:)ec,  Canada, 
based  chiefly  upon  the  notes  of  Napoleon  A  Comeau,  Bull.  Nutt. 
Orn  Club,  vol.  vii.,  1882.  pp.  233-242;  vol.  viii.,  1883,  p.  244;  The 
Auk,  vol.  i.,  1S84,  p    295  ;  ii ,  1885,  p.  113. 

Palmer,  William.  Notes  on  the  birds  observed  during  the 
cruise  of  the  United  States  Fish  Commission  Schooner  "  Grrm- 
ptis"  in  the  summer  of  1887.  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.,  vol.  xiii,, 
1890,  pp.  249-265. 

See  also  a  review  of  Mr.  Turner's  List  in  "The  Auk," 
vol.  ii.,  p.  368,  and  Mr.  Turner's  reply  thereto  (**  Auk,"  iii.. 
p.  140). 


BIRDS. 


409 


The  nomenclature  here  adopted  is  that  of  the  American 
Ornithologists'  Union  Check-list  of  North  American 
Birds.  In  Mr.  Turner's  list,  as  originally  published,  the 
names  adopted,  were,  in  the  main,  those  of  Ridgway's 
"  Nomenclature  of  North  American  Birds,"  forming 
"  Bulletin  21"  of  the  U.  S.  National  Museum.  In  the 
present  reprint,  aside  from  the  revision  of  the  nomen- 
clature to  bring  it  into  conformity  with  the  system  now 
almost  universally  adopted,  the  only  changes  are  the 
addition  of  a  few  titles  to  the  list  of  authorities  cited, 
the  numbering  of  the  species  consecutively  instead  of  in 
conformity  with  the  Ridgway  "  Nomenclature,"  and  the 
addition  of  critical  remarks  on  a  few  species  attributed 
to  Labrador  on  doubtful  evidence. 

An  asterisk  (*)  prefixed  to  a  name  indicate!  that  the 
species  is  resident  throughout  the  year.  A  dagger  (+) 
similarly  placed  indicates  breeding. 

J.  A.  Allen.] 


vf 


1.  Turdiis  iimstclimis  (Gmel.).     Wood  Thrush. 
Stearns,  p.  116,  asserts  that  he  heard  this  species  in 

Southern  Labrador.  [Labrador  is  quite  beyond  the 
normal  range  of  this  species,  which  is  found  only  spar- 
injjlv  in  Northern  New  Enoland.  Mr.  Stearns  omits 
the  species  from  his  later  "  Bird  Life  in  Labrador,"  cited 
above.] 

2.  Tiirdus  fusccscais  (Steph.).     Wilson's  Thrush. 
Audubon,  vol.  iii.,  p.  27,  saw  young  July  20,  1833. 
Brewster,  p.  368,  saw  a  pair  July  24,  1881,  on  Anti- 

•costi.  [This  species  can  reach  Labrador  only  as  a 
straarffler,  beinij  of  rare  occurrence  even  in  Northern 
New  England.] 


.4:  >   "    .  ! 


w* 


410 


Tin-:  zooLocjv  of  tiik  Labrador  coast. 


Il^ 


I    ! 


f  3.    Turdtis  alicia;  Baird.     Gray-cheeked  Thrush. 

Rare  in  Ungava.  Common  in  southeastern  and 
southern  portions.  Breeds  wherever  found  in  summer. 
Nest  and  eggs  i)rocured  at  Fort   Cliimo,  June  28,  1884. 

4.  I  Urdus  ustulatus  swainsoni  (Caban.).  Olive- 
baci-ced  Thrush. 

Brewster,  p.  369,  obtained  an  adult  female  at  Fox 
Bay,  Anticosti,  July  11,  1881. 

Verrill  reports  it  very  common  (p.  137)  on  Anticosti. 
Specimens  were  obtained  June  13  and  in  July,  i860,  at 
Rupert  House,  by  Drcxler. 

5.  Turdus  aonalaschkcc  pallasii  (Caban.).  Hermit 
Thrush. 

Brewster,  p.  369,  found  it  an  abundant  species  at 
Anticosti  and  on  the  south  shore  of  Labrador. 

Verrill,  p.  137,  found  it  common  at  the  same  place. 

f  6.  I\Ierula  mioratoria   (Linn.).     American  Robin. 

Abundant  throughout  the  country.  Breeding  plenti- 
fully at  Fort  Chimo,  Ungava. 

7.   Saxicola  ccuanthe  (Linn.).      Stone  Chat. 

Coues,  p.  218,  obtained,  August  25,  i860,  at  Henley 
Harbor,  Labrador,  a  single  individual  of  this  bird. 

f  8.  Rcguhis  ca/endula  (\Jw\n.).  Ruby-crowned  King- 
let. 

Common  in  southern  portions.  Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  p. 
168,  found  them  June  27,  1833,  and  saw  the  young  of 
tlje  year  a  month  later. 

Coues  obtained  a  specimen  August  6,  at  Rigolet,  vide 
p.  219. 

Stearns  shot  a  single  specimen  at  Old  Fort  Island, 
October  11,  1881,  vide  p.  116. 

f  9.  Regulus  satrapa\J\z\\X..    Golden-crowned  Kinglet. 


BIRDS. 


411 


Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  p.  165,  found  them  feeding  tlieir 
young  in  August. 

10.  Payiisatricapillus  Linn.   Black-capped  Chickadee. 

I  am  informed  by  credible  persons,  long  resident  in 
the  country,  that  two  species  of  chickadees  occur  at 
Northwest  River,  at  the  head  of  Hamilton  Inlet. 

Verrill,  p.  138,  reports  it  very  common  on  Anticosti. 

*f  II.  Par  us  huchoniciis  Vorst.  Hudsonian  Chick- 
adee. 

Abundant  everywhere  in  the  wooded  tracts.  Young 
of  the  year  were  obtained  July  19,  1882,  at  Uavis  Inlet, 
and  in  early  August  at  Fort  Chimo. 

Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  p.  155,  states  that  they  found  a  nest 
in  Labrador. 

12.  St'lhi  cafiadcitsis  \J\x\w.     Red-bellied  Nuthatch. 
Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.   179,  states  that  he  saw  one  in 

Labrador  which   had  probably  been  driven   there  by  a 
storm. 

Verrill,  p.  138,  reports  it  as  common  on  Anticosti. 

13.  Troglodytes  Jiyemalis  Vieill.     Winter  Wren. 
Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  p,  129,  found  this  species  in  South- 
ern Labrador,  July  20,  1833. 

Verrill,  p.  1 38,  states  that  he  observed  a  small  wren 
at  Southwest  Point,  Anticosti,  in  July,  which  he  thought 
was  this  species. 

f  14.  Motacilla  alba  Linn.     White  Wagtail. 

Four  individuals  of  this  species  were  seen  by  Alex. 
Brown  and  James  Lyall  (of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company), 
August  29,  1883,  at  Hunting  Bay,  4  miles  south  of  Fort 
Chimo.  These  persons  described  the  bird  accurately, 
and  declared  they  were  the  two  parents  and  two  young; 


ii 


412 


THE   y.nOLOC.Y   OF   TIIK    I.AHR/^I'OR    COAST, 


h  1 


1  i 


of  the  year.  1  must  add  that  1  place  tl'iO  fullest  reliance 
in  their  assertion. 

f  15.  Anthus  pcnsilvanicus  (Lath.).  American  Tit- 
lark. 

Abundant  throughout  the  territory.  Nests  and  eggs 
obtained  at  Fort  Chimo,  where  it  breeds  plentifully. 

16.  Mniotilta  varia  (Linn.).  Black-and-white 
Creeper. 

A  specimen  was  obtained  at  Moose  Factory,  May  13, 
1S60,  and  also  on  the  31st  uf  that  month,  by  C.  Drcxler. 

Brewster,  p.  369,  obtained  a  specimen  at  Fox  Bay, 
Anticosti,  July  11,  1881. 

17.  Hclminthophila  pcycgrina  (Wils.).  Tennessee 
Warbler. 

Obtained  by  Drexler,  at  Fort  George,  in  June  and 
July,  i860. 

Brewster,  p.  370,  obtained  a  specimen  near  Fox  Bay, 
Anticosti,  July  1 1,  1881. 

18.  Compsothlvpis  amcricana  (Linn.).  B.lue  Yellow- 
backed  Warbler. 

Brewster,  p.  370,  saw  a  male  at  Fox  Bay,  Anticosti, 
July  II,  1881. 

19.  Deiidroica  tio;r{na  (Gmel.).     Cape  May  Warbler. 
Specimen    obtained    by    Drexler,   May  28,    i860,  at 

Moose  Factory. 

20.  Dcndroica  a^stiva  (Gmel.).  S  m  jer  Yellow 
Bird. 

Specimen  obtained  by  Drexler,  Jul)  2,  i860,  at  Fort 
George. 

Brewster,  p.  370,  reports  it  as  abundant  on  Anti- 
'Costi. 


IIIKDS, 


413 


f  2  1.  Dcndroica  coronata  (Linn.).  Vcllow-runip  War- 
l.Icr. 

Au(lul)on,  vol.  ii.,  p.  24,  found  them  plentiful  in  Lab- 
rador, with  youncr  seareely  able  to  (ly. 

Drcxler  obtained  spccinicns,  July  21,  i860,  at  Moose 
Faetory. 

f  22.  Dendroka  maculosa  (Gmel.).  Blaek-and-yellow 
Warbler. 

Drexler  obtained  a  specimen  at  Moose  Factory,  May 
28,    i860. 

Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  p.  66,  reports  it  common,  with  eggs 
and  nest  in  beginning  of  July,  1833. 

Brewster,  p.  371,  found  it  abundant  on  Anticosti. 

23.  Dcndroica  cceni/cscens  (Gmel.).  Black-throated 
Blue  Warbler. 

Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  j).  63,  states  he  found  a  dead  one  in 
Labrador.  [This  species  is  erroneously  entered  in  Mr. 
Turner's  list  as  "  Dcndroica  cccrnlca  (Wils.).  Cerulean 
Warbler."] 

24.  Dcndroica  castanca  (Wils.).  Bay-breasted  War- 
bler. 

Drexler  obtained  a  specimen  at  Moose  Factory,  June 
2,  i860. 

Three  individuals  were  seen  at  Black  Island,  Hamil- 
ton Inlet,  by  me  July  9,  1882.  Two  were  shot,  but  lost 
in  the  thick  undergrowth  ;  one  of  the  birds  was  actually 
in  my  hand,  but  escaped. 

•f-25.  Dcndroica  striata  (Forst.).  Black-poll  War- 
bler. 

Abundant  throughout  the  wooded  portions  of  the 
region.  Breeds  plentifully  at  Fort  Chi  mo,  where  seven 
nests  and  eggs  were  obtained  in  1884  by  me. 


r  • 


I 


I 


M 
"■I 


414 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


m\ 


I 
\ 

i 

\ 

t^^^l 

^      :■ 

! 

26.  Dendroica   blackburnia  (Gmel.).     Blackburnian 
Warbler. 

Audubon,  vol.  ii,  p.  48,  saw  several  in  Labrador. 

27.  Dendroica  virens  (Gmel.).    Black-throated  Green 
Warbler. 

Brewster,  p.  371,  saw  two  or  three  on  Anticosti. 

f  28.    Dendroica  palmaruni   hypochrysea    (Ridgw.). 
Red-poll  Warbler. 

A  specimen  was  obtained  by  Drexler  at  Moose  Fac- 
tory in  July,  i860. 

Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  p.  55,  found  them  plentiful  in  Labra- 
dor.    Young  seen  in  August. 

f  29.  Seiurus  a^irocapillus  (Linn.).    Golden-crowned 
Thrush. 

Stearns,  p.    116,  records  this    species  as  breeding   in 
Southern  Labrador. 

Brewster,  p.  371,  saw  a  pair  at  Ellis  Bay,  Anticosti, 
July  21. 

Verrill,  p.    137,  obtained  specimens  at  Anticosti,  July 
15,  1861. 

t  30.  Seiurus  novcboracensis   (Gmel.).       Small-billed 
Water  Thrush. 

Several   individuals,  young  of  the  year  among  them, 
were  procured  by  me  at  Davis  Inlet  in  August,  1884, 

A    specimen  was  procured  at  Moose    Factory,  May 
26,  i860,  bv  Drexler. 

31.   Geothlypis    trichas   (Linn.).     Maryland  Yellow- 
throat. 

Common  in  southern  portions  of  Labrador. 

Stearns,  p.  116,  reports  it  from  Natashquan. 

Brewster,   p.    371,  found  it  at  Fox   Bay,  Anticosti 
July  II. 


! 

%M 

i     :« 

1^ 


I  i 


BIRDS. 


415 


f  32.  Sylvania  piisilla  (Wils.).  Black-capped  Yel- 
low Warbler. 

Audubon,  vol.  ii.,  p.  21,  records  it  as  breeding  in  Lab- 
rador, and  a  nest  obtained. 

Brewster,  p.  371,  records  it  from  Anticosti. 

t  33.  Sylvania  canadensis  (Linn.).  Canadian  Warb- 
ler. 

Audubon,  vol.  ii,  p.  15,  reports  it  as  breeding  in  Lab- 
rador. 

f  34.  Seiophajra  rnticilla  (Linn.).  American  Red- 
start. 

Verrill,  p.  137,  records  it  as  breeding  on  Anticosti, 
with  young  ones  just  able  to  fly,  July  18,  1861. 

A  specimen  was  obtained  by  James  McKenzie  at 
Rupert  House,  September  3,  i860. 

Brewster,  p.  372,  records  it  from  Ellis  and  Fox  Bays, 
Anticosti,  and  from  Mingan.  on  the  south  shore  of  Lab- 
rador. 

35.  Vireo  olivaccns  (Linn.),     Red-eyed  Vireo. 
Verrill,  p.  138,  reports  it  as  common  on  Anticosti. 

36.  Vireo philadclphicHs  (Cass.).     Philadelphia  Vireo. 
Individual  obtained  from  Moose    Factory,  June    2, 

i860,  by  Drexler. 

37.  Vireo  noveboracensis  (Gmel.).  White-eyed 
Vireo.  Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.  148,  states  that  a  few  were 
seen  in  Labrador.  [Audubon  was  probably  mistaken, 
Labrador  being  beyond  the  known  range  of  this 
species.] 

*  f  38.  Lanius  borcalis  Vieill.  Great  Northern  Shrike. 

Not  common  at  Fort  Chimo.  Breeds  there.  Young, 
unable  to  fly  more  than  a  few  rods,  were  taken  by  the 
hand  at  that  place,  June  30,  1884.     Said  to  be  common 


4i6 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


in  the  more  southern  portions,  and  there  known  as  the 
"  Silky  Jay." 

39.  Ampelis    cedrorum  (Vieill),     Cedar  Wax-wing. 

Specimen  obtained  August  26,  i860,  by  Drexler,  at 
Moose  Factory. 

t  40.   Pctrochelidon  huiifrons  (Say).     Cliff  Swallow. 

Verrill,  p.  137,  reports  it  breeding  in  large  numbers, 
July  15,  1 86 1,  on  Anticosti. 

f  41.  Chelidon  erytJirogastcr  (Bodd.).  Barn  Swal- 
low. 

Breeds  at  Northwest  River,  at  the  head  of  Hamilton 
Inlet. 

f  42.  Tachycincla  bicolor  (Vieill.).  White-bellied 
Swallow. 

Common  at  "Big"  Island,  in  the  Koksoak  River,  near 
Fort  Chimo,  where  it  breeds  abundantly.  Abundant 
throughout  the  northern  portions. 

Brewster,  p.  372,  saw  two  at  Antieosti,  June  9. 

f  43.    Clivicola  riparia  (Linn.).      Bank  Swallow. 

Audubon,  vol.  i.,  jx  189,  states  that  it  rarely  begins  to 
breed  before  June,  and  lays  only  once.  Said  to  be  plen- 
tiful on  south  shore  of  Labrador. 

Verrill,  p.  138,  reports  it  plentiful  on  Anticosti. 

*  f  44.   Piuicola  emiclcator  (Linn.).      Pine  Grosbeak. 

Abundant  in  summer  only,  at  Fort  Chimo;  breeds 
there ;  nest  and  eggs  obtained. 

Plentiful  in  southern  districts  among  the  timbered 
tracts.  Resident  south  of  the  "  Height  of  Land." 
This  bird  is  known  as  the  "  M<.,)e." 

45.    Carpodacus purpiireus  (Gm.).      Purple  Finch. 

Kumlien,  p.  75,  obtained  one  on  shipboard  off  Resolu- 
tion Island. 


Si'l 


...  ^ 

I. 


I!:' 


BIRDS. 


417 


Drexler  obtained  it  at  Moose  Factory,  May  28,  i860. 
Occurs  plentifullv  in  southern  portions. 

*  f  46.  Loxia  icucuptcra  Gmel.  White-winged  Cross- 
bill. 

Abundant  at  Fort  Chimo  in  winter,  rare  during  other 
winters.  None  observed  in  summer.  Birds  of  the  year 
are  taken  in  early  winter.  Breeds  in  central  portions 
and  resident  there. 

47.  Acanilii'i  hornemanni  {\\o\\)^.      Mealy  Redpoll. 

Very  abundant  in  winter.  Not  occurring  in  summer 
from  May  15  to  September  i  of  each  year. 

*  t  48.  Acaiitliis  horncmaiuii  exilipcs  (Coues). 
White-rum ped  Redpoll, 

Abundant  and  resident.  Breeds  plentifully  at  Fort 
Chimo,  where  nests  and  eggs  were  obtained. 

*  I  49.  AcantJiis  linaria  (Linn.).  Common  Redpoll. 
Abundant  and  resident.  Breeds  plentifully  at  Fort 
Chimo,  where  nests  and  eggs  were  obtained. 

50.  Acanthis  linaria  rostrata  (Coues).  Greater  Red- 
poll. 

Rather  common  in  winter.  None  to  be  seen  from 
May  15  to  September  i  of  each  year. 

51.  Spifui.    '/'?>//>  (Linn.).     American  Goldfinch. 
Kumlien,  p.  76,  caught  an  adult  male  on  shipboard  ofT 

Cape  Mugford,  August  22.  1877. 

Occurs  in  southern  portions  of  Labrador. 

A  bird  called  "  Goldfinch"  was  described  accurately, 
and  asserted  to  occur  occasionally  at  Fort  Chimo,  but  I 
did  not  succeed  in  finding  it. 

52.  Spiints pinits  (Wils.).     Pine  Goldfinch. 
Recorded  by  Audubon,  vol.  iii..  p.  126,  as  common.. 
Brewster,  p.  ^'j^^,  saw  a  flock,  July  24,  on  Anticosti.. 


i':l 


w  ■ 


418 


THE   ZOOLOGY   OF   THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


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t  53.  Plectrophenax  nivalis  (Linn.).    Snow  Bunting 

Abundant  at  Fort  Chimo.  Breeds  on  the  islands  in 
Ungava  Bay  and  occasionally  on  the  mainland.  Resident 
in  the  southern  portions  of  Labrador. 

f  54  Calcarhis  lapponiciis  (Linn.).  Lapland  Long- 
s|)Lir. 

Abundant  at  Fort  Chimo.  Breeds  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Koksoak  River  and  on  the  larger  islands  in  Ungava  Bay. 

f  55.  Amnwdranms  sandivichensis  savanna  (Wils.). 
Savannah  Sparrow. 

Common  throughout  the  region.  Breeds  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Koksoak  River  and  at  Davis  Inlet. 

•f  56.  Zonotrickia  leucophrys  (Forst.).  White- 
crowned  Sparrow. 

Verv  plentiful  throughout  the  country.  Breeds 
abundantly  at  Fort  Chimo. 

f  57.  Zonotrickia  albicollis  (Gmel.).  White-throated 
Sparrow. 

Reported  by  Stearns,  p.  117,  as  common  and  breed- 
ing in  Southern  Labrador. 

Audubon,  vol.  iii.,  p.  154,  states  that  this  species  is 
common,  and  that  he  saw  young  late  in  July. 

Drexler  obtained  this  species  at  Moose  Factory,  May 
31,  i860. 

Verrill,  p.  138,  reports  this  species  as  by  far  the  most 
common  singing  bird  at  Anticosti. 

f  58.  Spizella  monticola  (Gmel.).     Tree  Sparrow. 

Common  throughout  the  entire  country.  Breeds  plen- 
tifully at  Fort  Chimo,  where  eggs  and  nests  were  taken. 

t  59-    7^11(^0  hyemalis   (Linn.).     Black  Snowbird. 

Not  observed  in  the  Ungava  district.  Common  in 
the  eastern  and  southern  portions  of  Labrador.      Breed> 


im 


BIRDS.  419 


at    Davis    Inlet   and   Rigolet.     Known  as  the  "Stone 
Chat "  on  the  east  coast. 

t  60.  Mclospiza  lincolni  (Aud.).     Lincoln's  Finch. 

Rare  at  Fort  Chi  mo  ;  a  male  obtained  June  10,  1883. 
Common  in  southern  portions. 

Audubon,  vol.  iii.,  p.  117,  found  young  July  4,  1833. 

Drexler  procured  specimens  at  Moose  Factory,  May 
2^,  i860. 

61.  Mclospiza  geo7'giana  (Lath.).     Swamp  Sparrow. 

Audubon,  vol.  iii.,  p.  in,  states  it  to  be  abundant  in 
Labrador. 

Brewster,  p.  375,  found  it  plentiful  on  Anticosti. 

f  62.  Passerclla  iliaca  (Merrem).     Fox-colored  Spar- 
row. 

Common  in  southern  portions.     Young  obtained  at 
Rigolet  late  in  June  and  early  July.  1882. 

63.  Pipilo    crythropJithalmus    (Linn.).       Chewink ; 
Towhee. 

Audubon,  vol.  iii.,  p.  168,  states  that  it  occurs  north- 
ward to  Labrador.     [Doubtless  an  error.] 

f  64.  Scolecophagus  carolintis  (Mull.).     Rusty  Black- 
bird. 

Common.     Breeds  at  Fort  Chimo,  where  young  just 
from  the  nest  were  obtained,  July  10,  1884. 

*  f  65.   Corvtis  corax  principalis  Ridgw.     American 
Raven. 

Abundant  throughout  the  region.       Breeds  at  Fort 
Chimo;  nearly  fledged  young  seen  in  nest  May  18. 

66.   Corvus  amcricamis  Aud.     Common  Crow. 

Rare  and  only  found  in  southern  portions. 

Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.  89,  states  few  were  to  be  seen  in 
Labrador. 


!i  I 


:     } 


420 


THE   ZOOLOGY    OK   THE   LABRADOR   COAST, 


ttl . '   »     \ 


Coues,  p.  226,  saw  one  flying-. 
Stearns,  p.  117,  reports  it  from  Eskimo  River. 
Verrill,  j).  138,  records  it   as  very  common  on  Anti- 
costi.     Not  known  to  breed  in  Labrador. 

*  t  67.  Perisoreiis  cafiadcnsis  (Linn.).     Canada  Jay. 
Plentiful  in  interior  of  southern  and  westen  portions. 

Breeds  and  resident  wherever  found. 

*  f  68.  Perisorciis  canadcfisis  Jiigricapillus  (Ridgv'.). 
Coastwise  and  interior  especially  abundant.     Resident 

and  breeds  at  Fort  Chimo. 

f  69.   Otocoris  alpcstris  (Linn.).     Shore  Lark. 

Common.    Breeds  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak  River 
and  at  Rigolet. 

f  70.    Tyrannus  tyraniius  (Linn.).     Kingbird  ;    Bee 
Martin. 

Audubon,  vol.  i.,  p.  207,  found  it  breeding  in  Labrador. 

71.   Contopiis   borcalis   (Swains.).       Olive-sided    Fly- 
catcher. 

Audubon,  vol.  i.,    215,  records  it   from   the  coast  of 
Labrador. 

f  72.  Contopiis richardsoni i^wdAW'i.).   Western  Wood 
Pewee. 

Audubon,  vol.  i.,  p.  220,  states  that  he  fount!  it  breed- 
ing in  Labrador.     [This  was  erroneously  entered  in  Mr 
Turner's    list    as    '' Sayornis   pJia'bc    (Lath.).       Phcx'lx" 
Bird."] 

']}^.   Confopiis  vivens  (Linn.).     Wood  Pewee. 

Audubon,  vol.  i.,  p.   233,   records  it    [probably  erm- 
neouslv  I  from  Labrador. 

74.   Eiupidonax  flaviventris    Baird.       Yellow-bellied 
Flycatcher. 

Brewster,  p.    380,  reports  it  common  at  Ellis   Bay, 
Anticosti. 


mmtmmtmtmmtimfwt 


BIRDS. 


421 


-f*  75.  Empidonax  minimus  Baird.     Least  Flycatcher. 

Audubon,  vol.  i.,  p.  237,  found  it  nesting  in  Labrador. 

Obtained  by  Drexler  at  Moose  Factory,  May  30,  i860. 

76.  Trochilus  colubris  Linn.  Ruby-throated  Hum- 
ming-bird. 

A  single  individual,  male,  was  seen  within  4  feet  of 
me  July  17,  1882,  on  the  hill-top  (825  feet  elevation) 
back  of  the  station  at  Davis  Inlet. 

Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.  195,  states  that  few  were  seen  in 
Labrador. 

']'].   CJiordciles  virginia?ms  (Gmel. ).     Nighthawk. 

Stearns,  p.  117,  records  it  from  Natashquan. 

Obtained  by  Drexler  in  August,  i860,  at  Moose 
Factory. 

*  f  78.  Dryobates  villosus  Iciicomelas  {^o^(\.^.  Hairy 
Woodpecker. 

Resident  in  southern  portions  of  Labrador;  probably 
docs  not  occur  north  of  the  "  Height  of  Land." 

*  f  79.  Dry  abates  p7ib(:scevs  (Linn.).  Downy  Wood- 
pecker. 

Common  and  resident  in  southern  portions  ;  probably 
does  not  range  north  of  56°. 

Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.  249,  reports  it  from  Texas  to 
Labrador. 

Brewster,  p.  381,  found  it  breeding  at  Fox  Bay,  Anti- 
costi,  July  1 1. 

*  t  80.  Picoidcs  ardiais  (Swains.).  Black-backed 
Three-toed  Woodpecker. 

Common  and  resident  throughout  trie-  wooded  por- 
tions. 

*  t  81.  Picoides  amcricanus  Brehm.  Banded-backed 
Three-toed  Woodpecker. 


i\ 


'•A 

(-.  '! 

t:     ; 


iiil 


"W 


422 


TllK   ZOOLOtiV    Ol-    TH1<:    LAHKADOK    COAST. 


f  r  i 


Common  and  resident  throughout  the  wooded  por- 
tions. 

f  82.  Colaptes  auratus  (Linn.).  Yellow-shafted 
Flicker. 

An  accidental  straggler  was  procured  from  the  main- 
land near  Akpatol;  Island,  Hudson  Strait,  in  October, 
1882.  Reported  to  be  a  common  summer  visitor  to 
Northwest  River. 

f  83.   Ccryle  alcyon  (Linn.).     Belted  Kingfisher. 

Asummer  visitor  to  Northwest  River,  where  it  breeds. 

Drexler  obtained  a  specimen,  May  26,  i860,  at  Moose 
Factory. 

Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.  208,  records  that  he  has  met 
with  it  from  Texas  to  Labrador. 

84.  Coccyzus  americamts  (Linn.).  Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo. 

Audubon,  vol.  iv.,p.  296,  states  that  even  in  Labrador 
he  has  met  with  a  few  of  them  [ —  a  statement  requiring 
confirmation]. 

85.  Coccyz7is  eiythi'opktkahiius  (WWs.).  Black-billed 
Cuckoo. 

Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.  301,  states  that  they  saw  a  few 
in  clumps  of  low  trees  a  few  miles  from  the  shore  of  the 
gulf.     (The  text  evidently  refers  to  Labrador.) 

*  ?t  86.  Asio  accipitriims  (Pall.).     Short-eared  Owl. 

Common  in  summer  only  at  Fort  Chimo.  Specimens 
obtained  there  and  at  Davis  Inlet.  A  very  light-colored 
individual  was  seen,  July  18,  1882,  at  Davis  Inlet. 
Downy  young  individual  was  obtained  at  Fort  Chimo. 
Plentiful  on  the  east  shore  of  Hudson  Bay.  Not  known 
to  winter  in  the  Ungava  district. 

87.  Scotiapicx  cinerea  (Gmel.).     Great  Gray  Owl. 


3  \   ;    . 

I 


BIRDS. 


423 


Specimen  (No.  32306  ^  )  in  the  Smithsonian  Institu- 
tion collection  was  obtained  by  James  McKenzie  at  Moose 
Factory.     No  lecord  from  other  parts  of  the  country. 

88.  Nyctala  acadica  (Gmel.).      Saw-whet  Owl. 

Specimen  (No.  32301)  in  Smithsonian  Institution 
was  obtained  at  Moose  Factory  by  James  McKenzie. 

*  f  89.  Bubo  virginianus  satiwatns  Ridgw.  Dusky 
Horned  Owl. 

Not  rare  at  Fort  Chi  mo.  Resident.  Downy  young- 
obtained  June  20,  1884. 

*  f  90.   Nyctea  nyctca  (Linn.).      Snowy  Owl. 
Common  throughout  the  country.       Breeds  at   Fort 

Chimo. 

*  f  91.  Surnia  alula  caparoch  (Mtill.).  American 
Hawk  Owl. 

Rare  at  Fort  Chimo.  Eggs  obtained  June  8,  1S84, 
and  downy  young  nearly  ready  to  leave  the  nest  were 
taken  June  20. 

*  f  92.  Falco  islandus  Brilnn.     White  Oyrfalcon. 
Common  at  Fort  Chimo  and  east  coast  of  Labrador. 

Resident  in  northern  portions,  breeds  at  Fort  Chimo. 

\  93.  Falco  rii-sticolus  Linn.      Iceland  Gyrfalcon. 

Winter  specimens  only  obtained  at  Fort  Chimo. 
Not  known  to  breed  in  the  Ungava  district. 

'"'  f  94.  Falco  rtisi /coins  obsokttts  {Grc\c\.).  Labrador 
Gyrfalcon. 

Abundant  at  Fort  Chimo.  Fggs  obtained  May  24. 
Young  and  adult  specimens  of  this  bird  procured.  Very 
rare  in  winter  at  Fort  Chimo. 

f  95.  Falco  pei'e<^rinus  anattim  (Bon.).  American 
Peregrine  Falcon  ;  Duck  Hawk. 

Abundant  at  Fort  Chimo.     Eggs,  downy  young,  and 


ill; 


¥ 


wm 


424 


THK   /OOI.OC.V   or   TIIK    LARRADOR   COAST. 


ei;!B;*.u--/iKit' 


{'I  ■    ■ 

i:.    •  - 

Ik''        ^ 

■t      I 

i1     ; 

Pi'i'     1 

ilii  i 

adults  taken  there.  Does  not  pass  tlie  winter  in  the 
Un^ava  district. 

f  96.   Falco  coltimbarius  XJxww.     Pijjeon  I  lawk. 

Auduhon,  vol.  i.,  p.  89,  states  that  e^gs  and  nest  were 
found  ahout  June  i. 

Coues,  p.  216,  met  with  it  on  two  occasions;  one  nt 
Groswater  Bay  on  August  5,  and  on  the  25th  of  August 
■  ^  Menley  1 1  arbor. 

97.  Falco  sparverhts  Linn.     Sparrow  Hawk. 

Coues,  p.  216,  saw  a  single  individual  in  Labrador. 

t  98.  Pandion  haliactus  carolnicnsis  {Qx\\.).  American 
Osprey  ;  Fish  Ihiwk. 

Mr.  John  Ford  assured  me  that  the  F^ish  Hawk  breeds, 
four  or  live  pairs  of  them,  about  4  miles  above  the 
station  of  the  Hudsun  Bay  Company  on  Northwest 
River. 

Nuctall,  page  81,  rei)orts  it  from  Labrador. 

Brewster,  p.  382,  records  that  few  vvere  seen  at  Anli- 
costi. 

99.    Circus  hudsonius  (Linn.).      Marsh  fLuvk. 

Audubon,  vol.  i.,  p.   105,  saw  it  in  I^abrador. 

100.   Accipitcr  vclox  (Wils.).     Sharp-shinned  Hawk. 

I'iichardson,  vol.  ii.,  p.  44,  states  that  one  was  killed 
near  Moose  Factory  and  deposited  by  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  in  the  museum  of  London. 

W'rrill,  {).  137,  reports  having  seen  this  species  near 
Salmon  River,  Julv  3,  1861. 

*  f  101.  Accipiter  atricapillus  (Wils.).  American 
Goshawk. 

Resident  in  Ungava  district.  Winter  specimen  ob- 
tained in  early  December,  1882.     Breeds  at  the  "  Chapel " 


lURDS. 


425 


near  Fort  (^liimo.  Specimen  ol)taine(l  from  Ri^j^olet. 
Known  as  *'  Partridge  Hawk." 

102.  Biitco  /aiissii?i7is  {SXW'f,.).     Broad-\vini»ed  1  lawk. 

Specimen  (No.  33209  i)  in  Smithsotiian  Institution 
collected  by  James  McKenziein  1862  at  Moose  1^'actory. 

f  103.  ^IrchUmtco  lagopus  sancti-joliaunis  (Gmel.). 
American  Rough-legged  Hawk. 

Both  light  and  dark  phases,  with  their  eggs,  voung, 
and  adults,  collected  at  Fort  Chimo.  Apparently  more 
abundant  on  eastern  and  northern  shores  than  on  the 
southern  portions  of  Labrador.  Downy  young  were 
also  obtained,  of  the  black  phase,  July  17,  1882,  at  Davis 
Inlet.     Termed  "Squalling  ITawk"  bv  the  planters. 

+  104.  .Innila  chrysactos  (Linn.).     Golden  Eagle. 

Specimens  procured  in  Ungava  district.  Breeds  in 
the  northeastern  ])ortions  among  the  hills.  A  pair  also 
breed  at  the  "  Forks"  in  tht^  Ungava  district.  The 
Eagles  are  termtd  "Grepe"  by  the  planters,  and  is  a 
word  derived  from  some  of  the  earlier  Scandinavian 
settlers  on  tlie  coast  who  apply  the  term  Grcpe  to  a 
Vulture. 

f  105.  Jialiicctus  Iciicoccphalus  {SJxww?).  Bald  Eagle; 
Gray  Eagle. 

Nuttall,  p.  75,  records  it  as  breeding  and  rearing  its 
voung  in  all  the  intermediate  space  from  Nova  Scotia 
or  Labrador  to  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

106.  Eciopistcs  inigraioruts  (Linn.).  Passenger 
Pigeon. 

Specimen  obtained  August  16,  i860,  by  C.  Drexler, 
at  Moose  Factory. 

Verrill,    p.     138,   saw    a    single   individual   at   Heath 


lH' 


11 


426 


llir,    ZOOI.OdV    OK   THK    LAHKADOK    (OAST. 


Point,  Anlicosti,  and  was  informed   that   they  are  very- 
rare  there. 

*  f  107.  Daif/raQapus  canadensis  (Linn.).  Canada 
Grouse ;  Spruce  Partridge. 

Abundant  throughout  the  wooded  tracts.  Resident. 
Eggs,  downy  young,  and  adults  i)rocured  at  Fort  Chinio. 

*  f  108.  I^onasa  iimbcUus  togata  (Linn.).  Ruffed 
Grouse.. 

Occurs  rarely  at  the  head  of  Hamilton  Inlet,  l^ut  only 
on  the  south  side  ;  rather  common  at  Paradise  River, 
flowing  into  Sandwich  Bay,  and  abundantly  in  the  val- 
leys to  the  southward,  where  birch  grows  plentifully. 
These  birds  are  known  as  "  French  Hens." 

Audubon,  vol.  iv.,  p.  80,  reports  it  as  common  from 
Maryland  to  Labrador. 

*  f  109.  Laovpns  lagopiis  (Linn.).  Willow  Ptarmi- 
gan. 

Exceedingly  abundant  throughout  the  country. 
Breeds  by  thousands  at  Fort  Chimo,  where  eggs,  adults. 
and  young  in  all  stages  were  procured. 

'"  t  110.   Lagopns  rHpcsi7^is{G\.w.).     Rock  Ptarmigan. 

Plentiful  everywhere  on  the  treeless  areas.  Eggs, 
young  in  all  stages,  and  adults  were  procured  from  vari- 
ous places. 

III.  Ardea  hcrodias  Linn.     Great  Blue  Heron. 

An  individual  was  seen  by  Mr.  John  Saunders  (of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company)  to  fly  from  the  creek  which  is 
the  outlet  of  Whitefish  Lake,  near  Fort  Chimo,  in  the 
summer  of  1880.  A  specimen  was  obtained  at  Moose 
Factory  by  James  McKenzie,  August  29,  i860. 

Verrill,  p.    138,  states  that  a  large  Heron,  which  ap- 


y  ' 


.  \ 


3..; 


niRDS. 


42r 


peared  to  be  of  this  species,  was  seen  at  Ellis  Bay,  Ami- 
costi. 

t  112.  Botaiints  lentiginosus  (Montag.).  American 
Bittern. 

Accordinj^  to  Coues,  p.  227,  a  wing  of  a  Bittern  was 
seen  in  the  possession  of  a  native  at  Rigolet  (?). 

Drcxler  found  it  breeding  at  Moose  Factory,  and  ob- 
tained specimens  August  29,  186-. 

Verrill,  p.  138,  records  it  as  common  at  Anticosti.  A 
young  one,  just  able  to  fly,  was  caught  iVugust  4. 

f  113.  IhcDiatopHS  palliatus  Temni.  American 
Oystercatcher. 

Audubon,  vol.  v.,  p.  237,  found  several  breeding  in 
Labrador. 

f  114.  Arcnaria  intcrprcs  (Linn,).     Turnstone. 

Occasional  at  Ungava  Bay.  A  young  bird  of  the  year 
was  obtained  there  in  the  middle  of  September,  1882, 
f\nd  an  adult  at  Davis  Inlet.     Not  rare  on  the  east  coast. 

115.  Charadrius  squatarola  (Linn.).  Black-bellied 
PJover. 

Stearns,  p.  118,  reports  it  plentiful  in  South  Labrador. 
Not  observed  in  the  Ungava  district.    Not  breeding. 

116.  Charadrius  dominictts  Miill.  American  Golden 
Plover. 

Occurs,  in  fall  only,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak. 
Common  in  the  southern  and  western  portions  near  the 
coast.     Not  known  to  breed  there. 

f  1 1 7.  ^Egialitis  semipalmata  Bonap.  Semipal- 
mated  Plover. 

Occurs  abundantly  throughout  the  coast  region. 
Eggs,  downy  young,  and  adults  obtained  from  Ungava^ 


w 


428 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


and  downy  young  with  their  parents  obtained  from 
Davis  Inlet.     Known  as  "  Beach  Bird"  in  Labrador. 

118.  PhiloJicla  minor  (Gmel.).  American  Wood- 
cock. 

Several  persons  assured  me  that  they  had  jr^illed  wood- 
cocks on  the  eastern  portions  of  the  Labrador  shore. 

f  119.   Gallinago  delicata  (Ord.).    Wilson's  Snipe. 

I  heard  and  saw  a  male  making  the  peculiar  noise 
with  its  wings,  in  early  June,  over  a  swamp  to  the  north 
of  Davidson's  Lake,  a  fev;  miles  from  Fort  Chimo. 
Specimens  were  procured,  June  15,  i860,  by  Drexler,  at 
Rupert  House. 

Coues,  p.  229,  met  with  a  single  specimen. 

120.  MacrorJicwipJiiLs  grisciLS  (Gmel.).  Red-breasted 
Snipe;    Gray  Snipe. 

Rare  at  Fort  Chimo.  Common  in  southern  and 
western  portions.  Specimens  obtained  at  Fort  Chimo 
and  Davis  Inlet. 

121.  Triiiga  camitiis  Linn.    Knot ;  Robin  Snipe. 
Audubon,  vol.  v.,   p.  256,  states  that  it  ranges  along 

the  coast  from  Texas  to  Labrador,  but  does  not  record 
having  met  with  it  in  the  latter  country. 

Coues,  p.  229,  obtained  at  Henley  Harbor  a  few  spe- 
cimens in  immature  plumage. 

122.  Tringa  ntaritima  Brtinn.     Purple  Sandpiper. 
Although    I  can  find  no  record  of  the  occurrence  of 

this  species  in  Labrador,  yet  it  abounds  on  the  Atlantic 
coasts  to  the  north  and  south  of  Labrador  in  spring  and 
fall. 

ti23.    Tringa  manclata  YioiW.     Pectoral  Sandpiper. 

Common  almost  everywhere  on  the  coast.     Specimens 


BIRDS. 


429 


procured  by  Coues,  p.  230;  Stearns,  p.  119,  and  by  my- 
self. 

124.  Trmga  fuscicoUis  Vieill,  Bonaparte's  Sand- 
piper. 

Excessively  abundant  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak 
River  in  July,  August,  and  September;  also  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  Labrador.  Not  known  to  breed  in  the 
country. 

f  125.    Tringa    viimitilla    Vieill.      Least    Sandpiper. 

Not  common  at  Ungava.  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  occasional  pairs  breed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak 
River. 

Audubon,  vol.  v.,  p.  282,  states  that  he  found  nest 
and  eggs,  July  20,  1883,  in  Labrador. 

Coues,  p.  232,  observed  it  to  be  plentiful  in  Labrador. 

Brewster,  p.  386,  observed  a  few  daily  on  the  beach 
at  Anticosti. 

Stearns,  p.  119,  records  it  common  in  spring  and  fall, 
and  breeds  in  summer. 

f  126.  Ereiinctcs  pusillus  (Linn.).  Semipalmated 
Sandpiper. 

Occurs  sparingly  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak  River, 
and  from  its  actions  indicated  breeding. 

Audubon,  vol.  v.,  p,  278,  states  he  found  them  dis- 
persed in  pairs  and  having  nests  early  in  June  in  Lab- 
rador. 

Stearns,  p.  119,  reports  this  species  as  common  in 
spring  and  fall. 

127.    Calidris  arcnaria  {IJxw'Ci^.     Sanderling. 

Three  individuals  were  seen  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kok- 
soak River  associated  with  Tringa  fuscuollis.  Two  of 
these  were  obtained. 


w^ 


430 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Audubon,  vol.  v.,  p.  288,  states  he  saw  young  in  Lab- 
rador early  in  August,  1833,  moving  southward. 

128.  Liniosa  luemastica{\J\wx\.^.     Hudsonian  Godwit. 

Rare.  Drexler  obtained  a  specimen  near  Rupert 
House,  July  30,  i860. 

Stearns,  p.  1 19,  obtained  a  single  individual  at  Gid 
Fort  Island. 

f  1 29.  Totanus  mclanoleucns  (Gmel.).  Greater  Yel- 
low-legs  ;  Tell-tale. 

Not  common  in  Ungava  district.  Specimens  obtained 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak  River  and  only  in  the  fall. 

Audubon,  vol.  v.,  p.  319,  states  he  found  this  species 
breeding  in  June  in  Labrador. 

130.    Totaniis  flavipes  (Gmel.).     Yellow-legs. 

A  single  individual  was  seen  October  8  abou  50 
miles  above  Fort  Chimo,  on  the  Koksoak  River,  flying 
from  a  bar. 

Audubon,  vol.  v.,  p.  313,  states  he  found  few  of  these 
birds  in  Labrador. 

f  131.  Totanus  solitariiis  (VVils.).  Solitary  Sand- 
piper. 

A  single  individual  was  obtained  near  Fort  Chimo  in 
July.     Its  actions  indicated  breeding. 

132.  Tryngitcs  siibruficollis  (Vieill.).  Buff-breasted 
Sandpiper. 

Coues,  p.  235,  obtained  a  single  individual  August  20, 
i860. 

f  133.  Actitis  macularia  (Linn.).  Spotted  Sand- 
piper. 

Common  at  Fort  Chimo,  where  downy  young  and 
adults  were  procured. 

Audubon,  vol.  v.,  p.  303,  states  he  found  it   breeding 


"^ 


BIRDS. 


431 


in   LiTSrador,  July  17,  1833,  and  obtained   fully-fledged 
young  July  29. 

134.  Numenms  longirostris  VVils.  Long-billed  Cur- 
lew. 

Most  diligent  inquiry  failed  to  satisfy  me  that  this 
species  occurs  on  the  north,  east,  or  southern  portions 
of  Labrador.  Coues  apparently  satisfied  himself,  from 
inquiry,  that  the  bird  does  occur  there,  vide  p.  235. 

135.  Niimc7iijis  Jnidsonicus  Lath.     Fludsonian  Curlew. 
I  saw  three  individuals  of  this   species  in    September, 

1882,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak. 
Coues,  p.  235,  procured  a  few  individuals. 

136.  Nnmeiiins  borcalis  (Forst.).      Eskimo  Curlew. 

Several  large  flocks  were  seen  September  4,  1884,  fly- 
ing over  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak  River.  Plentiful  in 
the  fall  in  the  southern  portions  and  as  far  north  as 
Davis  Inlet ;  they  do  not  halt  above  this  latter  place 
while  on  their  way  southward. 

f  137.  CrynwpJiiliis  fiilica7'ius  {\J\wx\^).  Red  Phala- 
rope. 

Abundant  on  the  Labrador  coast  north  of  Davis  Inlet. 
Common  in  Hudson  Strait.  Rare  in  Ungava  Bay, 
where  a  specimen  was  obtained.  Breeds  sparingly  in 
Hudson  Strait. 

f  138.  PJialarop7is  lobatiis  (Linn.).  Northern  Phala- 
rope. 

Breeds  on  the  islets  in  Ungava  Bay.  Common  on 
northern  portions  of  the  Labrador  coast. 

139.  Ra/his  vtrginmmts  \JiVin.     Virginian  Rail. 

A  single  specimen  was  taken  in  Hamilton  Inlet  a  few 
years  ago  and  submitted  to  M.  Fortesque,  Esq,  (of  the 


iii 


r     I 


I|l,l»  l*W 


432 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OK  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


Hudson  Bay  Company),  who  identified  it  beyond  ques- 
tion, 

140.  Porzana  Carolina  (Linn.),      Sora  i'vail. 
Obtained    by   Drexler,    August   26,    i860,   at    Moose 

Factory. 

141.  Fulica  aincricana  Gmel.     American  Coot. 

^•\  s|)ccimen  was  shot  on  a  lake  near  Nain  several 
years  a^i^o.  Several  persons  who  saw  the  stuffed  bird 
described  this  species  bevond  possibility  of  doubt. 

142.  Oloi-  coliimbianiLs  (Ord).     Whistlin*:^  Swan. 

An  occasional  straggler  over  the  southern  portions 
only  of  Labrador.  The  Eskimo  of  the  western  side  and 
northein  end  of  the  region  apply  the  name  Koogzliook 
to  this  bird,  and  is  exactly  the  same  name  as  is  given  to 
it  by  tlic  Eskimo  of  Norton  Sound,  Alaska. 

1 43.  Chen  hyperborea  nivalis  (Forst.).  Greater  Snow- 
Goose. 

Occasionally  a  straggler  is  seen  in  the  western  portions 
and  along  the  western  end  of  Hudson  Strait.  Eskimo 
from  the  eastern  shore  of  Hudson  Bay  reported  it  to  be 
very  plentiful  during  the  migration.  -Those  people  ap- 
ply the  term  Kangok  to  this  species,  and  what  is  rare 
among  the  names  of  birds  is,  that  the  same  term  is  ap- 
plied to  this  species  by  the  Eskimo  of  Norton  Sound, 
Alaska. 

t  144.  Branta  canadensis  (Linn.).     Canada  Goose. 

Common  throughout  the  territory.  Breeds  along 
'Hudson  Str.  :  near  the  mouth  of  St.  George's  River, 
where  eggs,  young,  and  adults,  were  procured. 

Breeds  plentifully  on  Anticosti,  according  to  Verrill, 

P'  139- 

145.  Branta  bcrnicla  (Linn.).     Brant. 


■  ■fclliMPii 


BIRDS. 


43: 


Seen  in  spring  only  at  Fort  Chimo.  Not  known  to 
breed  in  the  region. 

Audubon,  vol.  vi.,  p.  205,  states  that  it  breeds  from 
Labrador  northward. 

146.  Anas  boschas  (Linn.).     Mallard. 

Rare  at  Fort  Chimo.  Common  on  eastern  and  more 
plentiful  on  southeast  coast.  Specimens  obtained  from 
Davis  Inlet  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak  River; 
known  in  Labrador  as  Mallard  and  Oreen  Head. 

f  147.  Anas  obscui'a  (Gmel.).    Black  Mallard. 

Not  common  in  Hudson  Strait.  Doubtless  breeds 
there,  as  a  female  obtained  in  July  had  the  abdomen 
bare  and  no  quills  in  the  wings. 

Audubon,  vol,  iv.,  p.  246,  found  eggs  and  young  July 

5»  1833- 

Verrill,  p.  139,  states  that  it  breeds  abundantly  on  An- 

ticosti. 

f  148.  Anas  strcpc7'-a  {\J^w\^.).     Gad  wall. 

Not  observed  in  Hudson  Strait. 

Verrill,  p.  139,  states  that  few  specimens  were  seen  on 
Anticosti,  and  a  half-grown  young  one  was  caught  near 
the  middl''  of  July. 

149.  Anas  aviericana  (Gmel.Y      Baldpatc. 

Mr.  John  Ford  assures  me  that  the  Widgeon  is  com- 
mon in  Hamilton  Inlet  and  on  the  southeast  shore  of 
Labrador. 

150.  Anas  discors  {\J\x\x\.^.      Blue-winged  Teal. 
Brewster,  p,  3(89,  records  that  fishermen  report  its  oc- 
currence at  Anticosti. 

151.  Anas  crcrca  (Linn.).     English  Teal. 

Coues,  p.  238,  obtained  a  male  in  Labrador,  July  23, 
i860. 


'v  \ 


I J 


iii 


i:'i 


434 


THE  ZOf)I/)r.Y  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


152.  A7i(7s  carolme7tsis  {Gmt\.).    Green-winged  Teal. 
Fully-tiedgcd  young    females  were  obtained  at  Fort 

Chimo  late  in  July. 

Coues,  p.  238,  saw  it  in  a  collection  at  Rigolet. 

153.  Dafila  acuta  (\Jinr\.).     Pintail. 

A  single  (young  of  the  year)  female  was  taken  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Koksoak  River.  An  adult  was  procured 
at  Davis  Inlet.  It  is  very  doubtful  that  this  species 
breeds  in  the  Ungava  district. 

154.  Atx  sponsa  (Linn.).  Wood  Duck;  Summer 
Duck. 

Stearns,  p.  120,  reports  it  not  rare  in  the  interior  of 
Labrador. 

155.  AytJiya  amcricaiia  (Eyt.).     Redhead. 
Stearns,  p.  120,  reports  it  as  common,  and  saw  an   in- 
dividual, September  20,  in  Baie  des  Roches. 

156.  Glatuionctta  islaiidica  (Gmel.).  Barrow's 
Gold  en- eye. 

Obtained  specimens  from  Davis  Inlet.  Plentiful  in 
the  fall  on  the  Labrador  coast. 

157.  Ghnuionetta  clangiila  amei'icana  (Bp.).  Ameri- 
can Golden-eye. 

Specimens  were  obtained  from  Ungava  Bay,  where  it 
is  abundant  in  fall,  as  it  is  also  on  the  Labrador  coast. 

158.  Ilistrioniciis  histrioninis  (Linn.).  Harlequin 
Duck. 

Abundant  in  Hudson  Strait.  Specimens  from  Un- 
gava Bay,  where  this  duck  certainly  breeds.  Plentiful 
on  the  eastern  coast  of  Labrador. 

f  159.  Claiigula  hyemalis  (Linn.).  Long-tailed 
Duck  ;   Old  Squaw. 

Abundant  in  the  proper  season  along  the  entire  coast. 


msiuagmm 


dll 


BIRDS. 


435 


Eggs,  downy  young,  and  .idults  were  procured  at  Fort 
Chimo. 

1 60  Camptolainms  labradorhis  (Gmel.).  Labrador 
Duck. 

Formerly  abundant.     Now  supposed  to  be  extinct. 

*  f  161.  Somatcria  mollissima  borealis  Brehm. 
Common  Eider. 

Abundant  in  Hudson  Strait.  Eggs,  young  of  the 
year,  and  adults  procured  in  Ungava  Bay.  Plentiful  on 
eastern  and  southern  coasts. 

'^  t  162.  Somateria  dresseri  Sharpe.    American  Eider. 

Common  on  south  shore  of  Labrador. 

*  t  163.   Somateria  spectabilis  (Linn.).     King  Eider. 
Abundant  on  Atlantic  coast  of  Labrador,  where  it  is 

reported  to  breed.  Nest  and  eggs  were  found  by  N.  A. 
Comeau  near  Mingan  {vide  Canadian  Naturalist  and 
Sportsman,  vol.  i.,  No.  7,  p.  51,  July  15,  1881).  Not 
known  to  enter  Hudson  Strait. 

164.  Oidemia  ainericana  Sw.  &  Rich.  American 
Scoter. 

Obtained  at  the  mouth  of  the  Koksoak  River.  Abun- 
dant in  Hudson  Strait  and  eastern  shore  of  Labrador, 
where  it  is  reported  to  breed  sparingly. 

f  165.  Oidemia  deglaiidi  Bonap.  American  Velvet 
Scoter. 

Obtained  from  the  eastern  shore  of  Labrador.  Com- 
mon alonij  all  the  coast. 

The  CE.  fnsca  of  Audubon,  vol.  vi.,  p.  333,  doubtless 
refers  to  this  species,  and  he  reports  it  as  common. 
Nesting  and  young  able  to  swim  from  June  r  to  July  28. 

f  166.  Oidemia  per spicillata  (Linn.).     Surf  Duck. 


■  I 


436 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


.-.   !'■ 


Rare  in  Hudson  Strait.  Abundant  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  Labrador,  where  it  breeds  sparingly. 

167.  Mcroa7iscr amcricaruis  (Cass.).  American  Shel- 
drake. 

Stearns,  p.  121,  reports  he  has  seen  one  individual  of 
this  species  near  Fort  Island.  This  is  probably  the  "  Pie 
bird"  that  I  heard  of  on  the  Labrador  coast. 

*f  168.  Merganser  serrator  (Linn.).  Red-breasted 
Sheldrake. 

Abundant  throughout  the  country.  Breeds.  Downy 
young,  unfledged  young,  and  adults  were  procured  at 
Ungava  and  Davis  Inlet.  Known  as  "  Shell  bird"  on 
the  Labrador  coast. 

169.  LopJiodytes  ctictillatiis  (Linn.).  Hooded  Shel- 
drake. 

Stearns,  p.  121,  records  it  as  rather  rare,  but  occa- 
sional in  Southern  Labrador. 

f  170.  Phalacrocorax  carbo  (Jlaww?).  Common  Cor- 
morant. 

Not  observed  in  Hudson  Strait.  Plentiful,  and  breed- 
ing alone  the  eastern  and  southern  coasts. 

f  171.  Phalacrocorax  dilophiis  (Sw.  &  Rich.). 
Double-crested  Cormorant. 

Plentiful,  and  breeding  along  the  eastern  and  southern 
coasts.      Not  observed  in  Hudson  Strait. 

f  172.  Sula  bassana  {y^ww^?).     Gannet. 

Abundant  and  breeding  on  southeast  and  southern 
shores  of  Labrador. 

173.   Gavia  alba  {Qf\xx\^,^.      Ivory  Gull. 

Audubon,  vol.  vii.,  p.  150,  records  it  from  south  shore 
of  Labrador.     Not  known  to  enter  Hudson  Strait. 

*  +  174.  Rissa  tridactyla  (Linn.).     Kittivvake  Gull. 


^rui'iii    I 


BIRDS. 


437 


Breeds  plentifully  on  the  northern  portions  of  the 
Atlantic  coast  of  Labrador. 

Brewster,  p.  398,  found  young  on  Anticosti,  Occurs 
but  rarely  in  Hudson  Strait.  One  individual  was  seen 
over  100  miles  up  the  Koksoak  River,  October  13,  1883. 

Verrill,  p.  141,  reports  them  breeding  in  immense 
numbers  on  the  eastern  and  northern  shoies  of  Anticosti. 

f  175.  Lariis glaticus  Briinn.  Glaucous  Gull;  Bur- 
gomaster. 

Not  rare  in  Hudson  Strait.  Not  known  to  breed 
there.  Breeds  plentifully  on  the  eastern  and  southern 
coasts  of  Labrador. 

176.   La7'2is  leticopicrtis  V'dhQw      White-winged  Gull. 

Audubon,  vol.  vii.,  p.  159,  states  that  few  were  seen 
in  Labrador. 

f  177.  Lams  marimis  Linn.  Great  Black-backed 
Gull. 

Not  observed  in  Hudson  Strait. 

Audubon,  vol,  vii.,  p.  174,  reports  it  common  and 
breeding  on  Labrador  coast. 

Coues,  p.  244,  obtained  young,  a  few  days  old,  at 
Sloop  Harbor,  June  4,  i860. 

Brewster,  p.  395,  found  young  of  few  days  old  on 
Anticosti. 

Known  as  the  "  Saddler "  or  "Saddle-back"  on  the 
coast. 

f  I  78.  Lams  argentatus  smithsonianns  (Zo\xts.  Amer- 
can  Herring  Gull.  ^ 

Excessively  abundant  in  Hudson  Strait,  where  eggs, 
young,  and  adults  were  obtained.  Common  on  the 
Atlantic  coast  of  Labrador. 

f  1 79.  Lanes  delawareiisis  Ord.     Ring-billed  Gull. 


iiii  18 


;•/.! 


P'^^T' 


ifii 


438 


THK   ZOOI.OC.Y   OF   TIIF    I,AnKAI)f)R   COAST. 


f        '   ' 


Coues,  p.  246,  obtained  three  young  of  the  year  at 
Henley  Harbor,  August  21,  i860. 

180.  Lams  Philadelphia  (Ord.).      Bonaparte's  Gull. 
Coues,  p.  247,  saw  immature  birds. 

Stearns,  p.  122,  reports  it  to  be  abundant  in  fall  on  the 
southern  coast.  Not  known  to  breed  in  any  part  of 
Labrador. 

181.  Xei)ia  sabinei  {^'^^^.^.     Sabine's  Gull. 

A  single  male  was  obtained  in  the  middle  of  July, 
1884,  near  the  mouth  of  George's  River,  flowing  into 
the  eastern  side  of  Ungava  Bay. 

182.  Stei'iia  tscheoTava\^<i\)fz\\.     Caspian  Tern. 

An  individual  was  obtained  by  James  McKenzie  at 
Moose  Factory. 

t  183.  Sterna  hinindo  Linn.     Common  Tern. 

Audubon,  vol.  vii.,  p.  100,  reports  it  breeding  in  Lab- 
rador. 

t  184.  Sterna  paradiscca  Briinn.     Arctic  Tern. 

Breeds  plentifully  on  islets  in  Ungava  Bay  ;  young  of 
the  year  and  adults  and  eggs  were  procured  there. 
Abundant  on  the  other  coasts  of  the  country.  Known 
as  the  "  Rittick"  at  Ungava  ;  an  Orkney  Isle  word. 

185.  Sterna  antillanwi  (Less.).     Least  Tern. 
Audubon,  vol.  vii.,  p.    119,    reports   it  abundant  and 

breeding  on  western  (southern)  shore  of  Labrador. 

186.  Megalestris  skua  {^xWx\x\.^.    Skua  Gull. 

'  A  single  individual  was  seen  near  the  vessel,  sitting  in 
the  water  off  the  north  side  of  the  Strait  of  Belle  Isle, 
June  22,  1882. 

187.  Stercorarius  pomarinus  (Temm.).  Pomarine 
Jaeger. 

One  was  shot  by  Coues,  p.  243. 


m 


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*m>'^ 


lilRDS. 


4.39 

Parasitic 


188.  Stcrcorarius    parasiticus,     (Linn.). 
Jaeger. 

Coues,  p.  243,  records  having  seen  this  species  in  Lab- 
rador.    Not  known  to  enter  Hudson  Strait. 

189.  Sfcrcorarius  /ofigiiaitdiis  Vieill.  Long-tailed 
Jaeger. 

A  single  individual  was  obtained  in  Ungava  Bay  in 
the  early  part  of  July.  Several  were  seen.  Brewster,  p. 
395,  saw  a  single  individual  July  20,  near  Mingan  Har- 
bor. 

f  190.  Fnimarus  glacial  is  (Linn.).      Fulmar  Petrel. 

Not  observed  in  Hudson  Strait.  Excessively  abun- 
dant fiom  Cape  Chidley  to  Strait  of  Belle  Isle.  Thou- 
sands were  seen  in  July  near  the  former  locality. 

191.  Puffimis  kiildii  (  Boie).     Cinereous  Shearwater. 
Kumlein,  [).    102,  reports  it  common  from   Belle  Isle 

to  Grinnell  Bay. 

[This  species  is  regarded  as  doubtfully  North  Ameri- 
can.    No  American  specimen  is  known  to  be  extant.] 

192.  Piiffums  major  Faber.     Greater  Shearwater. 
Kumlein,  }>.  102,  reports  it  from  Belle  Isle  to  Resolu- 

ion  Island. 

193.  Piiffijiiis  Strickland i  Ridgw.      Sooty  Shearwater. 
Coues,  p.  243,  states  that  he  saw,  on  August  19,  i860, 

few  of  this  species  with  individuals  of  P,  major. 

194.  Proccllaria  pelagica  Linn.  Stormy  Petrel; 
Mother  Carey's  Chicken. 

One  obtained  (middle  of  July,  1882)  20  miles  up  the 
Koksoak  River.  Another  was  seen  70  miles  up  that 
river,  October  9,  1882. 

195.  Oceaniles  oceanicus  (Kuhl.).     Wilson's  Petrel. 


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Atlantic  coast  of  Lal)rador  ;  observed  mostly  in  spring 
and  fall,  then  plentiful. 

196.  Cymochorca  Icucoi'rlwa  (Vieill.).    Leach's  Petrel. 
^Atlantic  coast  of  Labrador ;  observed  mostly  in  spring 

and  fall,  then  abundant. 

197.  Colymlms  auritus  (Linn.).     Horned  Grebe. 

A  single  Grebe  was  seen  in  a  tide  pool  at  the  moutiiof 
the  Koksoak  River,  September  15.  1882.  I  will  not  un- 
dertake to  assert  what  species  it  was,  as  it  appeared  to 
be  a  bird  of  the  year.  Stearns,  j).  132,  reports  Podiccps 
holbdlli  as  "  not  rare  in  spring  and  fall.  Occasionally 
breeds."  Fhe  individual  seen  by  me  may  have  been  of 
this  species. 

*  f  198.    Uriiiaior  /)n/)i'r  {Ounu.).     Loon. 

Occurs  in  Hudson  Strait,  east  and  south  shores  of 
Labrador.  Specimens  procured  from  Davis  Inlet  and 
Rigok'i. 

109.  Uriuator  arcticus  (Linn.).  Black-throated 
Diver. 

Stearns,  p.  122,  records  that  two  specimens  were  pro- 
cured off  the  Labrador  coast  by  one  of  the  French 
priests  at  Bersimis.     One  in  1880. 

\  200.  L'rinator  Imunic  (Gunn.).  Red-throated 
Diver. 

Very  plentiful  throughout  the  county.  Eggs,  downy 
young,  and  adults  were  procured  at  Ungava.  Kno\vn  in 
, Labrador  as  "  Waby." 

201.  Plant  us  inipciniis  (Linn.).     Great  Auk. 

Supposed  to  have  formerly  occurred  on  the  Labrador 
coast.      Undoubtedly  extinct  now. 

f  202.     Alca  tenia  Linn.     Razor-billed  Auk. 


BIRDS. 


441 


Nor  observed  in  Hudson  Strait.  Abundant  on  east- 
ern and  southern  shores,  where  it  breeds  plentifully. 

t  203.   Fratcrcula  arctica  (Linn.).     Common  Puffin. 

Plentiful  on  eastern  and  southern  coast  of  Labrador, 
where  it  breeds.      Not  known  to  enter   Hudson  Strait. 

*  t  204.   Allc  alle  (Linn.).     Sea  Dove  ;   Dovekie. 
Common  in    Hudson   Strait.    Winter  (December  19, 

1882)  specimen  taken  100  miles  up  the  Koksoak  River. 
Occurs  in  myriads  alon^  the  eastern  shore  of  Labrador. 
Known  as  the  "  Bullbird."  Breeds  plentifully  in  certain 
localities  not  visited  by  me. 

*  t  205.   Cepplnis  trrylle  (Linn.).      Black  Guillemot. 
Common   in  Hudson   Strait,  east  and  soutii  shores  of 

Labrador.      Breeds  wherever  found  in  summer. 

*  f  206.  Ccpphus  ?/iiru(///i  (U\ch\.).  Mandt's  Guille- 
mot. 

Occurs  in  Hudson  Strait  occasionallv  onlv,  accordingf 
to  my  own  ol)servation.  Plentiful  on  tiie  eastern  coast 
of  Labrador.  Sjiccimens  j)rocuretl  at  Fort  George  by 
Drexler,  July  17,  1861.  Breeds  wherever  found  in  sum- 
mer. Known  as  "  Pioeon"  or  "Sea  Piijeon "  on  the 
eastern  coast.  . 

*  f  207.    C/r/a  troilc  (Linn.).     Common  Guillemot. 
Plentiful  on   eastern  and  southern  coast  of  Labrador. 

\ot  observed  in  Hudson  Strait. 

*  t  208.  Uria  /omz'i'a  (l^riinn.).  Briimiich's  Guille- 
mot. 

Obtained  only  from  Hudson  Strait,  where  it  breeds. 
Abundant  on  eastern  and  southern  coasts. 

Besides  these  species  the  following  was  collected  by 
Dr.  Robert  Bell,  and  recorded  by  him  in  the  Report  of 
the  Canadian  Geological  Survey  for  1882-83-84. 


IJ    ': 


l,    ' 


...^ 


442 


THE  ZOOLOGY  OK  IHK  LAHRADoR  COAST. 


vv^ 


I  f 


SI! 

Ik 


m 


Proccllaria  tcnuirostn's  Aud.     Slender-billed  Fulmar. 
Port  Burwell,  28il>  September. 

Mammals. 

/  'cspcrtilio  subulahis  Say.    Little  Brown  Bat.   Natash- 
quan.     (Stearns.) 

Lepiis  amcricanus  Erxl.      (Stearns.) 

Ercthizon  dorsatitin  (Linn.).     Near  Flopedale. 

Fiber  zibet hicus  Cuv.      Henley  Harbor. 

Castor  canadensis  Kuhl.  Rapidly  becoming  extinct 
on  the  coast. 

Sciuropterus  volucella  (Pallas).  Specimens  found  at 
St.  Augustine.     (Stearns.) 

Scinrns  Jnidsonius  Pallas.  "Common  in  the  woods, 
along  the  southern  coast.     (Stearns.) 

Arctcmiys  vionax  (Linn.).  "Common  at  Mingan, 
growing  scarce  towards  Bonne  Esperance."     (Stearns.) 

Zapus  hudsouicus  (Zimmermann).  Not  rare  on  the 
dry  tops  of  many  of  the  islands  along  the  southern  coast. 
(Stearns.) 

Hespcromys  /eucopns  (Rafinesque).  Not  rare. 
(Stearns.) 

Arvicola  sp. 

BaUcnoptera 
the  coast. 

Balerna  mysticetus  Linn.  The  Hump-backcJ  Whale 
is  commonly  seen.  This  species  shows  its  tail  and  the 
pale  underside  of  the  body  when  it  "breaches";  the 
Fin-back  does  not  show  its  tail. 

PJiyseter  macrocephalns  Linn.  For  many  years  the 
tishermen  on   the  coast  have  noticed  a  school  of  nine 


(Stearns). 

The  Fin-back  is  frequently  seen  upon 


h  I 


m. 


w% 


HAMbMl^ia^^U 


MAMMALS. 


443 


sperm  whales  passingr  up  and  down  the  coast.  Lately 
the  number  has  been  reduced  to  five,  one  of  which,  prob- 
ably, was  seen  off  Domino  Harbor,  in  a  large  school  of 
"  Finners"  and  "Hump-bacUs." 

Sibbaldius  horcalis  (Fischer).  A  Sulphur-bottom 
Whale  was  towed  ashore  at  Old  Fort  Island  in  1878  or 
1879.     (Stearns.) 

Monodon  monoccros  Linn.  While  the  Narwhal  is 
abundant,  going  in  schools,  in  Hudson's  Strait,  it  had 
not  been  seen  at  the  Moravian  settlements  since  at  least 
1830. 

Delplii^iapterus  catodon  (Linn.).  The  White  Whale  is 
not  uncommonly  seen  passing  in  schools  along  the  coast 
in  the  summer-time. 

Orca  oiadiator  (Bonnaterre).  The  Killer,  which  was 
described  to  me  as  having  the  head  much  shorter  and 
blunter,  and  with  longer  teeth  than  the  (irampus,  from 
which  it  is  easily  distinguished  by  its  sharp,  dorsal  fin, 
five  or  six  feet  high,  is  commonly  said,  by  the  fishermen, 
to  attack  the  Right  and  Finback  Wliales,  "gouging  out 
lumps  of  flesh."  At  Belles  Amours,  an  individual  was 
captured,  from  whose  stomach  five  shoulders  of  the  seal 
were  taken. 

Globiccphalus  intcrmedms  (Harlan).  The  Black-fish, 
or  (irampus,  abounds  on  the  whole  coast. 

Grampus  griscus  (Cuvier).  The  Grampus  occurs 
along  the  coast  as  far  as  Belle  Isle,  and  perhaps  farther. 
(Stearns.) 

Odobccniis  rosmarus  (Malm.).     Atlantic  Walrus. 

Phocavituliua  Linn.  Harbor  Seal.  Ascends  the  rivers 
into  fresh  water. 


nS'5r^ 


444 


THK  /.()()L()(;y  ok  thk  lahuador  coast. 


I  i 


Phoca  fwtida  Fabr.    In  harbors  in  spring  and  autumn. 
(Stearns.) 

Of  the  Pkoca  hispida  Erxl.,  no  information  could  be 
obtained. 

Pai^ophilus p'ivnlandiciis  Gray.  (Phoca  fjroenlandica 
auct. )  This  species  is  most  abundant  and  extensively 
hunted  by  the  sealers.  The  young  soon  after  birth 
weigii  70-80  pounds,  while  the  adult  weighs  140-150 
pounds.  (Common  in  migrations  all  along  the  shores 
south  of  Belle  Isle. ; 

Eripiathus  barhatjis  Qi\\\.  (Phoca  barbata  Fal^r.).  It 
is  probably  the  species  which  is  called  by  the  sealers  the 
"  S»]uare  Flipper."  It  is  very  rare,  and  much  the  largest 
species  known.  The  young  weigh  140-150. pounds, 
while  the  adult  will  weigh  500-600  pounds. 

Cystophora  cristata  Nilsson.  The  Hooded  vScal  is  not 
uncommonly,  during  the  spring,  killed  in  considerable 
numbers  by  the  sealers.  The  young  "pelt'  weighs  70--S0 
pounds,  while  the  old  male  or  "dog  hood,"  weighs  400 
pounds. 

Raii}:;ifcr  caribou  Baird.  Lives  in  summer  on  the  hill- 
tops away  fiom  the  woods. 

Ovibos  nwschatus  Hlainville.  As  the  Labrador  Es- 
kimo have  a  distinct  name  for  the  musk-ox,  it  is  natur- 
ally inferred  that  it  may  have  formerly  inhabited  the 
northwestern  part  of  the  peninsula,  as  it  once  occurred  on 
the  opposite  coast  of  Hudson's  Bay  as  far  south  as 
Churchill  River. 

UrsHs  viaritimus  Linn.     White  bear. 

Ursus  amcricamis  Pallas.  The  black  bear  is  abundant 
on  the  southern  coast,  where  it  leaves  its  winter  quarters 
in  May,  but  above  Hopcdale  is  very  rarely  seen. 


i»,^.*^,^,;^  ^-<^  -^  ^    -  , 


MritH 


MAMMALS. 


445 


Procyon  lotor  Storr.     Raccoon.    Square  Island. 

Lutra  canadensis  Sabine.  Common  along  the  whole 
coast. 

Mephitis  viephitica  (Shaw).  Rarely  seen  on  the 
southern  coast.     (Stearns.) 

Gulo  luscus  (Linn.).  Wolverine.  Generally  distrih- 
uted  alonji^  the  coast.     (Stearns.) 

Putorius  vison  (Schreber).  The  Mink  is  common 
alon<T  the  coast. 

Putori^is  vu/oaris  (Erxl.).  This  and  the  Ermine  are 
common  eve  r)'  \v  li  v  re . 

Putoi'ius  e7'minea  (Linn.). 

iMnsteia  aniericana  Turton.  The  American  Sable  or 
Marten  is  common. 

Mustela  fennanti  Erxl.  The  Fisher  is  occasionally 
seen  in  Southern  Labrador.     (Stearns.) 

Vulpcs  fiilvits  Linn.  The  Red  Fox  occurred  com- 
monly at  Stagn^  Bay,  with  the  following  species  of  ihe 
silver  and  black  fox.     The  former  is  not  uncommon,  the 

black  very  rare. 

Vulpes  lagopus  Linn.  The  "  Blue  Fox  "  is  exceed- 
ingly rare  about  the  mouth  of  Hamilton  Inlet.  An  old 
hunter  told  me  he  had  seen  but  three  of  them  within  a 
period  of  forty  years.  Their  fur  is  shorter,  and  the  tail 
shorter  and  more  bushy  than  the  "  Patch  r\)X."  On  a 
high  isolated  rock  much  frequented  by  sea-birds,  1  no- 
ticed a  Patch  Fox  with  a  murre's  ^^^  in  its  mouth.  It  is 
very  tame  and  unsuspicious  on  the  outer  islands,  where  it 
lives  evidently  by  robbing  the  nests  of  sea-birds.  It  is 
the  common  statement  of  the  hunters  that  the  different 
varieties  of  this  species  are  found  in  the  same  litter. 


446 


THE   ZOOi^OGY   OF   THE    l.AHKAUOK   COAS  i , 


i       >, 


•    i 


Cam's  lupus  Linn.  The  Gray  Wolf  is  said  by  Stearns 
to  l)c  very  rare. 

Lynx  ca?iaflinsis  (Desm.).  The  Lynx  is  common  in 
winter.     (Stearns.) 

Al'I'ENDIX     VO    ClIAI'TER    XV.    ZooLOGY. 

Hy  an  unfortunate  oversi^^ht  the  end  of  the  list  of  in- 
sects was  left  out  of  its  proper  place. 

i.EriDDiTEkA — concluded. 

Eurymus  nastcs  (  Boisd. )  =:  Colias  nastes  of  former 
list.  I  have  not  re-examined  specimens,  as  they  are  ap- 
parently no  longer  extant. 

Paviphila  comma  (Linn.)  =  Hesperia  comma  of  my 
former  list,  'i  he  sin<ile  specimen  obtained  was  not  ex- 
amined l)v  me  in  my  study  of  the  species  of  Famphila 
(Memoirs  Host.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist,  ii.,  341),  and  is  the 
only  specimen  1  have  seen  of  F.  comma  from  America. 
It  belongs  to  the  var.  catena  Staud.  found  in  northern 
Scandinavia  and  Lapland,  and  exactly  resembles  the 
specimen  of  that  variety  figured  by  me  in  the  memoii 
referred  to  al)oye  Moschler  has  already  noted  that  it 
is  this  variety  which  occurs  in  Labrador. 

Hesperia  centaur cce  Ramb. 

HVMEXUI'TKKA. 

Uroceriis  flavicornis  Fabr.  Common  on  Caribou 
Island. 

Urocertis  cyaneus  Fabr.      Hopedale. 
Euura  orbitalis  Norton.     Var.  a.  b.     Caribou  Island. 
Nana  I  us  Labrador  is  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 
Nemahis  malacus  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 
Nematus  fallax  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 
Nematus  monela  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 
Nematus  fuhipes  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 


BWBI*Vj»---/-y- 


INSECTS. 


447 


Ncmatit^  placcntiis  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 
Allantiis  originalis  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 
Macropliya  {^Pachyprotasis)  otticga  Norton.     Caribou 
Island. 

Tenthrcdo  mclUnus  Norton.      Caribou  Island. 
Tenthredo  cinctitibiis  Norton.     Caribou  Island. 
Formica  hcrculanca  Linn.     Whole  coast. 
Formica  sanoninea  Latr.     Strait  of  Belle  Isle. 
Vcspa    nmculata    Linn.       Southern    coast,    Mecatina 
Island. 

Vcspa  norvegica  Fabr.     Caribou  Island. 
Bouibus  laciistris  Crcsson.      Whole  northern  coast ; 
common. 


Sloop  Harbor  and  Hope- 
Square  Island  and  Hope- 
Caribou    Island  and  whole 


Bo  Dibits  kirbycllus  Curtis, 
dale. 

Bonibus  frigidiis  Smith, 
dale. 

Bonibiis   nivalis    Dahlb. 
coast  northward. 

*  Ichficumon  larice  Curtis.  Ross'  Voyage.  Fig.  i. 
Okkak. 

"  This  species  labelled  /.  erythrosomus  by  Holmgren 
seems  to  me  to  be  the  same  as  /.  larice  of  Curtis,  only 
differing  in  the  color  from  our  specimens  from  Green- 
land."    (C.  Aurivillius  in  letter.) 

Ichneumon  ^ligroriifus.  Fide  Holmgren.  Caribou 
Island. 

Ichncmnon  Packardii  Holmgren  MS.     Hopedale. 

Cryptus  Fabricii  Schiocdte.     Tub  Island. 

Campop/ex  air/ icus  Curt\s  7    Caribou  Island. 


*The  Ichneumonidae  were  partially  named  by  the  late  Mr.  A.  E.  Holmgren' 
of  Sweden,  the  work  having  been  interrupted  by  his  death.     Besides  these  about 
twenty  other  species  were  collected,  with  two  or  three  species  of  Chalcididx. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE    HUTANV    OK    TIIK    I.AHKADOR    COAST. 


t    t 


!■'■ 


Very  little  hcrhalizin*^  has  been  done  on  the  shores  of 
this  region  and  none  at  all  in  the  interior.  The  earliest 
paper  devoted  especially  to  Labrador  botany  appears  t(j 
be  E.  Meyer's  Dc  plantcs  labradoricis  ])ublishL'd  at 
Lcipzi_of  in  1830.  The  late  Rev.  Samuel  Weiz,  lor  many 
years  missionary  at  Hopedale,  kindly  allowed  us  while 
at  that  station  in  1S64  to  make  a  copy  of  his  list  of 
northern  Labrador  plants.  As  regards  the  botany  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  or  Gulf  Coast  of  Labrador  we  know 
more.  The  Rev.  S.  R.  Butler,  a  missionary  and  succes- 
sor of  the  Rev.  C.  C.  Carpenter  at  Caribou  Island,  near 
the  mouth  of  Eskimo  River,  botanized  several  seasons 
on  Caribou  Island,  at  Forteau  Bay  and  L'Ance  Amour, 
and  the  results  are  given  in  his  excellent  list  entitled 
"Labrador  Plantes,"  published  in  the  Canadian  Natural- 
ist.""' This  list  was  added  to  by  Mr.  \V\  A.  Stearns,t  who 
collected  at  Harrington  Harbor,  Baie  des  Roches,  Bonne 
Esperence  and  Salmon  Bay  and  at  a  point  seven  miles 
up  the  Eskinio  River.  Miss  MacFarlane  also  alTt)r(ltd 
Mr.  Butler  "  much  valuable  material."  Reference  may 
also  be  made  to  Sir  John  Richardson's  list  of  plants  col- 


*VoI.  V.  1870.  September  No. 

f  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Mus.  vi.  No.  8.  Aug.  i.  1883. 


448 


v:\ 


,.a,-  '. 


NuUlllKUN    l.lMirs   t>l-     IKKKS. 


449 


Iccted  on  tlu-  Nlaiul  of  Anticosli  ami  coast  of  I.ahrailor 
in  i860.  Wliili'  tlu'  plants  of  tlic  (lulf  coast  arc  a  mix- 
ture of  arclic,  subarctic  and  Alpine  lloras  with  that  of 
the  northern  Canailian  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River, 
those  of  northern  Lahradcjr  are  naturally  more  purely 
arctic. 

'I'hc  extreme  northern  point  touched  by  an  observer 
of  plant  life  in  I'ort  Chimo.  In  the  introduction  to 
iiis  list  of  birds  of  Labratlor  '''  Mr.  Turner  thus  refers  to 
the  vegetation  : — "The  limit  of  liees  ceases  oidy  10 
miles  north  of  Tort  Chimo.  The  principal  trees  are 
species  of  Abies,  Larix,  Hetula,  Poj)ulus,  iVlnus,  Salix, 
and  Juniperus.  The  moie  common  llowering  plants  are* 
Anemone,  Ranunculus,  Draba,  X'iola,  Arcnaria,  Stellaria» 
Lathyrus,  Potentilla,  Ivubus,  Ribes,  Saxifra<^a,  Epilo- 
bium,  Ileiacleum,  Taraxacum,  X'accinium,  Kalniia, 
Rhododendron,  Ledum,  I^inu^uicula,  Oentiana,  Einpe- 
trum,  IJabenaria,  Iris,  and  Smilacina.  Of  sedges  and 
grasses,  J  uncus,  Scirpus,  Eriophorum,  Carex,  Poa,  \Uy- 
mus,  and  Aira  are  the  more  common."  Dr.  Robert 
Bell  collected  j)lants  on  the  northern  coasts,  which  were 
identified  by  Prof.  Macoun,  and  are  embraced  in  the 
lisi  iiiven  beyond. 

Dr.  Koclif  thus  writes  rei^ardlng  the  forests  and  vcfj^e- 
tation  at  Nain,  a  point  not  far  from  the  northern  limit 
of  trees  :  "  The  northernmost  vallevs  in  which  firs  <xvo\v 
ojien  into  Napartok  Ba\'.  North  of  Napartok  Bay  |. 
(Napartok  means  fir)  [more  properly  spruce]  are  found 
only  dwarf  willows  and  birches  ;  mosses  and  lichens  form 

•  *Prnc.  r.  S.  \af.  Mil-:,  vin.  \os.  15,  16,  18S5. 
f  Deutsche  Genpraphiscbe  Blatter,  Bremen,  1884. 
:J  Napartok  Bay  is  just  south  of  the  58th  parallel  of  latitude. 


!':*■! 


I 


r 


¥' 


450 


TIIK    HOTANV    OK    rilK    I.AHUAOOU   COAST. 


1    ' 


:(■{  ! 


the  principal  covering  of  the  jriound.  In  the  south, 
near  the  coast,  the  forests  have  heen  partly  destroyed  hy 
reckless  cutting,  and  the  devastated  character  of  the 
region  about  IIo[)edale  is  due  in  great  part  to  the 
destruction  of  the  forests  on  the  valley  sides  hy  the 
Eskimo.  As  everything  naturally  grows  slowly  on  ac- 
count of  the  short  summer,  the  trunks  of  the  firs  are 
subjected  to  great  tension,  so  that  those  which  have  lost 
their  bark  seem  twisted  like  corkscrews.  Hand  in  hand 
with  this  goes  on  a  rapid  new  growth  of  the  thickness 
of  the  trunk  towards  the  top;  both  causes  render  the 
W(jod  useless  for  timber.  On  account  of  ihcsliort  spiiiiir 
this  country,  like  other  arctic  regions,  has  a  llora  numer- 
ically rich  in  individuals  but  poor  in  species,  and  it 
reminds  one  of  the  alps  and  the  mountains  of  Norway. 
Of  the  plants,  besides  bilberries  and  cranberries,  only  a 
kind  of  cochlearia  and  cloudbeny  ( in  Eskimo  .  I /x/?ii') 
are  useful,  the  latter  being  used  by  the  l-lskimoin  attacks 
of  scurvy,  hence  for  that  reason  it  is  much  valued  and 
gathered.  In  consequence  of  this  many  places  ar<' 
named  for  it,  for  example  Akbikse,  Akbiktok,  z'/'.z. 
l)laces  where  Akbik  grows. 

"  Moreover  the  missionaries  raise  potatoes  and  cab- 
bages, but  not  only  is  the  seed  sown  with  much  trouble 
— for  the  garden  must  be  dug  out  of  the  snow  in  spring 
— but  also  during  the  summer  they  must  be  covered 
every  night  with  mats  on  account  of  the  nightly  frosts." 

Of  the  mosses  of  Labrador  what  is  known  is  probably 
comprised  in  a  paper  entitled  Moosvegetatiofi  and  Moos- 
beaude  in  Labrador, 


II- 


i 


PLANTS 


451 


CATALOGUE  OF  THE  PLANTS  REI'ORTED 

BV      VARIOUS    TRAVELLERS    AND 

OTlll'lRS  AS  GROWING  ON  THE 

COAST  OE   LABRADOR. 


CoMi'ii-Ki)    itv  John  NLvcoun.  Naturalist  ok  iiil  Di>    ' 

I'AKTMLNT  OK   InTKRIOK,   OtTAWA,  CaNADA. 
KANUNCULACK.l- 

7.  Anemone  pixrviflora  M-'lix.  Coa^*  of  Labrador 
(Ton.  and  Gray,  j).  12)  ;  con.iiion  on  ilic  highlands  of 
F(  rteau  (VV.  E.  Stearns);    llojx'da!'    (VVciz). 

20.  TJialictruni  dioicuni  Liiin.  ( )n  Caiil)oii  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler)  ;  common  on  hijj^hlands  alon<i  the  mar- 
p[ins  of  streams,  and  in  the  interior  at  Eorteau  ( W.  E. 
Stearns). 

22.  Thalictrjun  Coruuti  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
at  Eorteau  (McGillColl.  Herb). 

34.   Rantineulus   ajfinis    R.    Br.    Ilopcdale    (Weiz). 

40.  Ranunculus  pygrncnis  VVahl.  C^oast  of  Labrador 
(Pursh)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz). 

44.  Ranuncu/us  nivalis  Linn.  From  Labrador  and 
Spitzbergen  (Torn  and  Gray,  page  21);  Hopedale 
(Weiz). 

54.  Caltha pahistris  Linn.  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  (J.  Rich- 
ardson) ;  Hopedale  (Weiz).  Sec  R.  Avicricanus 
(J.  M.). 

57.  Coptis  tri folia  Salisb.  Labrador  and  north  to 
lat.  58°  (Hooker) ;  on  hills,  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 


!»'     '. 


452 


THE  BOTANY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


nympiM':ace/E. 


!   ' 


M 


95.  Nuphar  advetta  Ait.     Ponds,  Caribou  Island   (S. 
R.  Butler). 


SARRACENIACE.'E, 


100.   Sarracenia  purpurea  Linn, 
bogs.     (Hooker). 


Not   infrequent  in. 


PAPAVERACE/E. 


102.  Papavcr   nudicaulc   Linn. 
Weiz. 


Hopcdale    Islands, 


CRUCIFERyE. 


Cardaminc prate7isis  Linn.  Wet,  swampy  meadows 
(Brunot)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz).      See  C.  Cell idi folia. 

143.  Arabis  alpina  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Col- 
master)  ;  Forteau  Bay,  by  the  seashore  (S.  R.  Butier)  ; 
Hopedale  Islands  (Weiz).  ♦ 

144.  Arabis  stricta  Huds.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Col- 
master  vide  Pursh).  This  is  very  likely  Arabis  conlinis, 
Watson.     Hopedale  Island  (Weiz). 

169.  Drab  J  alpina  var.  (?)  corynibosa,  Durand.  Coast 
of  Labrador  (Abbe  Brunot). 

170.  Draba  stcllata  var.  nivalis,  Regd.  Coast  of 
Labrador  (Colmaster  vide  Hooker). 

175.  Draba  incana  Linn.  D.  contorta  Ehrh.;  Weiz' 
List.  D.  glabella  Richardson  ;  Weiz,  List.  Coast  of 
Labrador  (Pursh)  ;   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

Var.  confnsa  Poir.  Nachvak,  coast  of  Labrador  (R. 
Bell)  ;   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

176.  Draba   arabisans  Michx.     Hopedale  (Weiz). 

177.  Draba  aiirca  Vahl.     Hopedale  (Weiz). 


PLANTS. 


453 


182.  Cochlearia  officinalis  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Abbe  Brunot);  Hopedale  (Weiz). 

185.  Cocldearia  tridactylites  Banks.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor (Sir  Joseph  Banks);  Cape  Charles  (Abb(3  Brunot)  ; 
Hopedale  (Weiz) ;  Seashore,  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 

197.  Capsella  bursa-pastoris  Moench.  Introduced. 
Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz). 


'I   1;  .'1 
\ 


VIOLACE/E. 


240.  Viola  canina  var.  sylvestris,  Regel.  \\  Muhlen- 
bergii  ?  Weiz'  List.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Caribou  Isl- 
and (S.  R.  Butler). 

229.    Viola  blanda  Willd.     Hopedale  (Weiz). 


CAKYOl'HYLLACE.'i:. 

263.  Silcnc  acaitlis  Linn.  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  But- 
ler);   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

264.  Lyc/mis  apctala  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Judge  Morrison). 

266.  Lychnis  alpiua  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Judge  Morrison);  Ungava  Bay  (Barnston)  ;  Nach- 
vak  (R.  Bell)  ;   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

281.  Arcnaria  verna  Linn.  A.  junipcrina  I^msh  ; 
Weiz'  List ;  Caribou  Island  (vS.  R.  Butler) ;  Cape 
Charles  and  Amour  Bay  (Abbe  Brunot) ;  Coast  ol 
Labrador  (Pursh)  ;   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

287.  Arcnaria  Grccnlandica  Spreng.  Nain  and 
Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  summits 
of  low  hills  at  Baic  des  Roches,  abundant  (W.  E. 
Stearns);  Caribou  Island  (Butler). 


li 


i 


I  :!) 


hn 


454 


THE   BOTANY   OF  THE   LABRADOR  COAST. 


288.  Arenarm  serpyllifolia  Linn.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor.   Introduced.    (Abb6  Brunot.) 

291.  Arenaria  peploides  Linn.  Honkenya  peploides 
Ehrh.;  Butler's  List;  Coast  of  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler)  ;     Ilopcdale  (Weiz). 

295.  Stellaria  borcalis  Bigel.     Hopedale  (Weiz). 

298.  Stellaria  crassifolia  Ehrh.  Arenaria  norvegica  ? 
Weiz'  List.  Rather  common  in  damp  localities  along 
the  coast  (W.  E.  Stearns);     Hopedale,  Weiz. 

300.  Stellaria  loui^ipes  Goldie.  Var.  minor,  Hook. 
Hopedale  (Weiz);  Nain  (R.  Bell). 

Var.  Edivardsii  Torr.  and  Or.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Coast  of  Labrador  (Miss  Macfarline)  Caribou  Island  ? 
(Butler.) 

305.  Stellaria  Innnifusa  Rottb.  Arenaria  Purshiana, 
Seringe  ;  Weiz'  List ;  Nain,  along  the  coast  (R.  Bell)  ; 
Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  seashore  of  Labrador  (Pursh)  ;  Sea- 
beach,  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

511.  Cerastijcm  alpinum  Linn.  Forteau  Bay  (S.  R. 
Butler)  ;  Hopedale  Islands  (Weiz)  ;  Ford's  Harbor  and 
Nain  (R.  Bell). 

Var.  glabratzim  Hook.  Hopedale  (Weiz) ;  Nach- 
vak  (R.  Bell). 

318.  Sagina  jiodosa  E.  Meyer.  Mingan  Islands  and 
Labrador  Coast.  (St.  Cyr) ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 

321.  Spergularia  salina  Presl.  Brackish  sands  along 
the  coast  (Abbd  Brunot). 

PORTULACACE.^. 

340.  Montia  fofttana  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Gmelin.) 


..->1>^.r-*J.lH»«f-f  i^^^p^.^ 


PLANTS. 


455 


LKGU  MINDSET. 

499.  Astragalus  alpinus  Linn.  A.  Lahradoricus. 
Hook.;  Weiz'  List.  Caribou  Island  or  Fortcau  liay 
(S.  R.  Butler);  Ilopcdalc  (Weiz)  ;  Nain  and  Xachvak 
(R.  Bell). 

525.  Oxytropis  podocarpa  Gray.  Labrador  and  the 
Arctic  recrions,  (Dr.  Gray). 

527.  Oxytropis  campcstris  L.  Var.  ciurulea,  Koch. 
Coast  of  Labrador,  (Abbe  Brunot)  ;  Ford's  Harbor  and 
Nachvak  (R.  Bell)  ;  Hill-sides  near  Forteau  Light- 
house, (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Hopedale  (VVciz). 

533.  Hcdysanun  borcale  Mott.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Forteau  Bay  (S.  R.  Butler). 

556.  LatJiyriis  maritimus  Bigel.  Pisum  maritimum, 
Linn.,  Weiz'  List.  Hopedale  (Weiz);  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler.) 

559.  Lathyrus  paliister  Linn.  Caribou  Island  and 
Forteau  Bay,  (S.  R.  Butler.) 


'r' 


ROSACE.E. 

571.  Prnnns    Pcnnsylvanica     Linn.       Cerasus ? 

Butler's  List.     Caribou  Island.     (S.  R.  Butler.) 

588.  Rubns  Cluviicemorus  Linn.  Ford's  Harbor  (R. 
Bell)  ;  Straits  of  Belle  Isle  (St.  Cyr.)  ;  Hopedale 
(Weiz);  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.   Butler). 

589.  Rtibus  arcticus  Linn.  Peat  hogs,  coast  of  Lab- 
rador (Abbe  Brunot)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Caribou  Is- 
land (S.  R.  Butler). 

Var.  grandiflorus  Ledeb.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Hooker)  ;  Nain  and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

592.  Rubus  triflorus,  Rich.  Forteau  Bay  (S.  R. 
Butler). 


li 


^1 


456 


THE  KOTANY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


';  i 


•  i 


'I 


I     '!l 


605.  Dryas  octopctala  Linn,  D.  tenella,  Pursh  ;  Weiz' 
List.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Nachvak  and  Cape  Chudley 
(R.  Bell)  ;  Mill  tops,  Point  Amour  rs.  R.  Butler). 

612.  Geitm  rivalc  Linn.  In  springy  places  along 
the  coast  (VV.  E.  Stearns). 

613.  Gcttm  trijioriim  Pursh.  Dry  rocky  ground 
(Judge  Morrison). 

618.  Sibhaldia  proctunbcnsXJKXwx  Coast  of  Labrador 
(M'Gill  Coll.  Herb.);    liopedale  (Weiz). 

625.  Pot  cut  ilia  Nort'Ci^ica  Linn.  Forteau  Bay  and 
Caribou  Island  (S    R.  Butler)  ;  Nain  (R.  Bell). 

637.  Potentilla  nhea  Linn,      liopedale  (Weiz). 

641.  Potentilla  niaculata  Poir. 

P.  Salisburycnsis  Ihunke  ;  Weiz'  List. 

P.  anrca  Oeder;  Weiz'  List. 

P.  crocca  Haller ;  Weiz'  List.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Nain  and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell);  on  hills  at  Amour  (S  R. 
Butler). 

643.  Potentilla  cmarginata  Pursh.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Colmaster). 

645.  Potentilla  pahistris  Scop. 

Coniarnm  palustris  Linn.  ;  Weiz'  List.  Hopedale 
(Weiz)  ;  Caribou  Island.     (S.  R.  Butler). 

647.  Potentilla  friUicosa  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Hooker). 

648.  Potentilla  tridcntata  Solander.  Hopedale 
(Weiz)  ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

649.  Potentilla  Anserina  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

653.  Alchemilla  vulgaris  Linn.  South  coast  of  Lab- 
rador near  Amour  (^S.   E.  Butler);  collected  m  several 


PLANTS. 


457 


localities  along  the  coast  (VV.  E.  Stearns);  Hopedale 
(VVtiz). 

656.  Potcrium  Canadeusc  Bentii.  cS:  Hook.  Sangui- 
sorba  Canadensis,  Linn.;  Weiz'  List.  Hopedale  (VVeiz); 
con^.mon  on  dry  sloping  flats  along  the  coast  (VV.  E. 
Stearns);  Caribou  Island  (Butler). 

674.  Pirns  Americana  DC.  Var.  microcarpa,  Torn 
&  Gr.  Caril)ou  Island,  (S.  R.  Butler).  Not  rare  on 
the  coast  (W.  E.  Stearns);   Hopedale  (VVeiz). 

685.  Ainclanchicr  Canadensis  Var.  (?)  oligocarpa,  T. 
&  Gr.  South  coast  of  Labrador  at  Amourand  Caribou 
Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 


SAXIFRAGACE/E. 

686.  Saxifraga  oppositifolia  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
on  rocks  at  Amour  (S.  R.  Butler). 

688.  Saxifraga  Aizoon  Jacq.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Judge  Morrison)  ;  Hopedale  (VVeiz). 

690.  Saxifraga  ccrspitosa  Linn.  Var.  Groenlandica, 
Wahl ;  S.  Groenlandica,  Linn.;  Weiz'  List.  Hopedale 
(Weiz)  ;  Forteau  Bay  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Nachvak  (R. 
Bell). 

693.  'Saxifraga  rivu/aris  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Coast  of  Labrador,  (M'Gill  Coll.  Herb.);  Nachvak 
(R.  Bell). 

695.  Saxifraga  cermia  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz) ; 
Coast  of  Labrador  (Pursh). 

698.  Saxifraga  nivalis  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Nachvak  (R.  Bell)  ;  Coast  of  Labrador  (Pursh)  ;  Cari- 
bou Island,  (S.  R.  Butler). 

702.  Saxifraga  hieracifolia  Waldst.  and  Kit.  Hope- 
dale  (Weiz). 


1.1 


i 


'.  I 


458 


niK    BOTANY    OF    IHl!:    I.ABKADOK   COAST. 


713.  Saxifraga  trictispidaia  Retz.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor (McGill  Coll.  Herb.);  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

714.  Saxifraga  aizoidcs  Linn.  Southeast  coast  ol 
Labrador  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Hopedalc  (VVeiz)  ;  Nach- 
vak (R.  Bell). 

724.  Mitclla  mtda  Linn.  Cool  damp  places  (Hooker). 

']}f'].  Parnossia  pahish'is  Linn.  Hopedalc  (VVeiz)  ; 
Coast  of  Labrador  (Hooker). 

740.  Parftassia  Kotzehici  Cham,  and  Schlecht.  Hope- 
dale  (VVeiz)  ;  Coast  of  Labrador  (M'Gill  Coll.  Herb.). 

753.  Ribcs prostratnm  L'Hev.  R.  ^landulosum,  Ait.; 
VVeiz'  List.  Hopedalc  (VVeiz)  ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 


CRASSULACE/li. 


769.  Scdum  Rhodiola  DC.   Nain,  Nachvak,  and  Ford's 
Harbor  (R.  Bell)  ;  Ilopedale  (VVeiz). 


DROSERACE.E. 


771.  Droscra  rotwidifolia  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Hooker);  Hopedale  (VVeiz);  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 


HALORAGE/E. 


781.  Hippiirtis    vulgaris  Linn.     Coast  of  Labradoi 
(Hooker) ;  Hopedale    (Weiz). 


%": 


fttn;l 


ONAGRACE.E. 


786.  Epilobium  angusti folium  Linn.  Hopedale 
(VVeiz)  ;  Coast  of  Labrador  (Hooker)  ;  Caribou  Island, 
(S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Nain  and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

787.  Epilobium  latifolium  Linn.     Hopedale  (Weiz); 


PLANTS. 


459 


Amour  Bay,  on  the  south  coast,  and  Caribou  Island  (S. 
R.  Butler). 

789.  lipilobium  alpinum  Linn.  E.  nutans,  Lchm.; 
Welz'  List.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  South  coast  of  Labra- 
dor (Abbe  Brunot). 

794.  Epilobitim  palustrc  Linn.  Var.  lineare,  Gray. 
Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Coast  of  Labrador  (Judge  Morri- 
son). 

UMBELLTFER^. 

871.  Archangclica  atropurpurea  Hoffm.  Angelica 
Archangelica,  Schrank  ;  Weiz' List.  Hopedale  (Weiz); 
On  the  south  coast  at  Amour  Bay  and  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 

d>'j2.  Ai'cliangclica  Gjuelmi  DC.  Coast  of  Labrador, 
(McGill  Coll.  Herb.)  ;  Strait  of  Belle  Isle  (St.  Cyr). 

864.  Ligusticiim  Scotictim  Linn.  Caribou  Island  (S. 
R.  Butler). 

883.  Heracleum  laiiatum  Michx.  Caribou  Island, 
(S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Coast  of  Labrador  (Hooker). 


CORNACE^. 

885.  Cornus  Canadensis  Linn.  Caribou  Island,  and 
Forteau  Bay  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Nain  (R.  Bell)  ;  Hope- 
dale  (Weiz). 

896.  Cormis  Suecica  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Abb^  Brunot)  ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Ford's 
Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

CAPRI  FOLIAGES. 

916.  Viburnum  pauciflorum  Pylaie.  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 


it  '^^; 


1 


k 


■ 


460 


IIIK    BOTANY   OK   THE    LABRADOK    COAST 


919.  Linncea  borealis  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Carl 
bou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

929.  Loniccra  cccrulea  Linn.  In  bogs,  frequent 
(Hooker);  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 


1  » 


-ill 


RUniACE.E. 

941.  Galhnn  trifidum  Linn.  (6^.  Claytoni  Hook. ; 
Weiz'  List.)  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 

COMPOSIT.F.. 

984.  Solidago  macrophylla  Pursh.  {S,  thyrsoidcct  E. 
Meyer;  Weiz'  List.)  Hopedale  (Weiz);  Caribou  Is- 
land (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

986.  Solidai^o  ]^irga2trcd,  van  alpina  Bigel.  Hope- 
dale  (Weiz)  ;  Ford's  Harbor  and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

987.  Solidago  mnltiradiata  Ait.  Along  the  coast  of 
Labrador  (Judge  Morrison). 

10 1 9.  Aster  Radula  Ait.,  var.  str ictus  Gray.  Cari- 
bou Island  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  coast  of 
Labrador  (Pursh). 

1079.  Ei'igeron  unijlortis  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz) ; 
coast   of  Labrador    (Colmaster)  ;    Nachvak    (R.  Bell). 

1092.  Hrigcron  acris  \J[nw.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Torr, 
and  Gray);    Hopedale  (Weiz). 

1098.  Antcnnaria  dioica  GaTtn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Hooker)  ;   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

1099.  Antennaria  alpina  Goertn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Colmaster)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 

1 100.  Antennaria  Carpathica  R.  Br.  Coast  of  La- 
brador (Dr.  Gray). 


PLANTS. 


461 


1 106.  Ciuaphalimn  Xorvegicum  Qmww^ix.  (C  syha/i- 
cum  Linn.;  Wciz'  List.)  Hopedale  (Wciz)  ;  coast  of 
Labrador  (Torr.  and  Gray). 

1 1 10.  Gnap/ta/i'ion  sKpiniiin  V'xW.  (G.  pus  ill  11  ni 
IliLMikc;  Weiz' List.)  Coast  of  Labrador  (Dr.  Morri- 
son) ;   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

1 1 73.  Achillea  Millefolium  Linn.,  var.  nigrescens 
E.  Meyer.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Nain  (R.  Bell)  ;  Cari- 
bou Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1193.  Artemisia  borealis  Pall.,  var.  spil/iannva  Torr. 
and  Gray.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Colmaster)  ;  Hopedale 
Islands  (Weiz). 

1214.  Peiasites  palmala  Gray.  Swamps,  Labrador 
coast  (Hooker)  ;   Hopedale  Islands  (Weiz). 

1 1  22.  Arnica  alpina  Murr.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Torr. 
and  Gray)  ;  Hopedale  Islands  (Weiz)  ;  Naclivak  and 
Cape  Chidley  (R.  Bell). 

1242.  Scnecio Pscitilo-Arnicah.cs'^.  Hopedale  Islands 
(Weiz);  coast  of  Labrador  (Hooker). 

1244.  Senecio/ri<^r/(/us 'Less.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Dr. 
Gray). 

1237.  Seiiccio  anrc7is  Linn.,  var.  borealis,  Torr.  and 
Gray.     Nachvak  (R.  Bell);   Hopedale  Islands  (Weiz). 

1286.  Hieraciuui  viilmhun  Vx\QS.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Colmaster)  ;   Hopedale  Islands  (Weiz). 

1308.  Taraxicum  officinale  Weber,  var.  alpinnm, 
Kocb.  Not  uncommon  along  the  coast  (jf  Labrador 
(W.  E.  Stearns)  ;  rocky  soil,  Nachvak  and  Nain  (R. 
Bell)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz) ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 


m 


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I  I 


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■,< 


>  i; 


IM" 


^-■?  -  ill 


462 


THE    ISOTANV    OI-   THE    LABRADOR   COAST. 


CAMl'ANULACE.E. 


1 34 1.  Ca7npanula7iniJiora\J\\\^.  Hopedale  (VVeiz)  ; 
Nachvak  and  Cape  Chidley  (R.  Hell). 

1 344.  Cavipanjila  roiundifo/ia  L.,  var.  arclica  Lange. 
Hopedale  (VVeiz);  Middle  Bay,  Belles  Amours,  and 
L'Anse  Amour  (S.  R.  Butler)  ,  common  at  Forleau 
Bay  (W.  E.  Stearns). 

ERRACE.i:. 

1352.  Vacciviiim  Pcnnsyhixniciim,  var.  a^is^iistifolium 
Gray.  Nain  (Lundberj:;^)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Caribou 
Island  (Martin,  S.  R.  Butler). 

1356.  Wxcciniu))!  nligiiiosiun  Linn.  Mopedale 
(Wei/)  ;  common  on  the  coast  at  Nain,  Ford's  Harbor, 
and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell)  ;  Caribou  island  (S.  R.  But- 
ler). 

1358.  ]'accinium  ccrspitosmn  Michx.  Hopedale 
(Weiz)  ;  on  hill-sides  at  Belles  Amours  and  on  Caribou 
Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1364.  Vaccinium  \ltis-Id(ea  Linn.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1365.  Vaccinium  Oxycocciis  \^\\w\.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Caribou  Islands  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1366.  J^acciiiiitnt  niacrocarpon  Ait.  By  lakelets 
along  the  coast.     (Abbf^  Brunot). 

1367.  Chioj^encs  kispidHlaTorr.  ?ind  Gx2iy.  On  moss, 
along  the  coast  (Hooker). 

1369.  Arctostaphylos  aipina  S^xeng.  {Arbutus  alpina 
Linn.;  Weiz'  List.)  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Ford's  Harbor 
and  Cape  Chidley  (R.  Bell). 

1383.  Andromeda polifolia  \J\XiW.  Hopedale  (Weiz); 
Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 


I'LANTS. 


^;« 


1376.  Cassandra  caiycu lata  V)ov\.  Borders  of  lakclt-ls 
and  swamps  along  the  coast  (Hooker);  Square  Island 
Harbor  (B.  P.  Mann). 

1378.  Cassiopc  hypiioides  Don.  Andromeda  hyp- 
iioides  Linn.;  VVeiz'  List.  liopedalc  (Wciz)  ;  Nain 
and  Cape  Cliidley  (R.  Bell) ;  coast  of  Labrador  (Dr. 
Morrison). 

1 38 1 .  Cassiopc  tctrap^oha  Don.  A  iidromcda  Iclragona 
Linn.;  Weiz'  List.  Hopcdale  (Weiz)  ;  coast  of  Lab- 
rador (Colmaster)  ;  abundant  along  the  coasi  at  Nain 
and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell);  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butlci). 

1389.  Bryaitiktis  iaxiJoiiusGmy.  Andromeda  neru- 
/ea  Weiz'  List.  Hopcdale  (VVeiz);  coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison)  ;  Nain.  Nachvak,  and  Ford's  Harbor 
(R.  Bell). 

1393.  KalmiaangnstiJolia\A\\\\.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison). 

1394.  Kalmia  glanca  Ait.  Hopcdale  (VVeiz);  Cari- 
bou Island  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  coast  of  Labrador  (Dr. 
Morrison). 

1395.  Ledum palusire  \J\nv\.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Dr. 
Morrison) ;  Hopcdale  (Weiz)  ;  Ford's  Harbor  and 
Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

1396.  Ledum  latifolium  Ait.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison)  ;  Hopcdale  (Weiz) ;  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 

1386.  Loiseleurta  procumbeiisT>tsw.  Azalea  procum- 
bens  Linn.;  Weiz'  List.  Hopcdale  (Weiz)  ;  coast  of 
Labrador  (Dr.  Morrison)  ;  Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

1402.  Rhododendron  Rhodora  Don.  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 

1405.    Rhododendron   Lapponicum     Wahl.     {Azalea 


\  ,. 


I    I 


i<hA 


464 


Tllli   BOTANY   01     Tin;    LAllKAlJOR   COAST. 


m 


I  i\ 


..  .1 


i  \ 


Lapponha,  Weiz'  List.)     Cuastof  Lal)rador  (Dr.  Morri- 
son) ;   Ilopcdalc  (Wciz)  ;  on  a  liill-top  al  Belles  Amours 

(S.  R.  Butler);  NachvaU  (  U.  Bell). 

1409.  jyro/ii    minor    Linn.     Cold   woods,   Labrador 

(Dr.  Morrison);   Ilopedalc  (Weiz). 

1410.  Pyrola  saunda,  wav.  pioui/a  Cixwy.  Cool  hoggv 
ground,  Labrador  (Storer)  ;   llopedale  (Weiz). 

141 1.  J [yro/a  c/i/orajU/ta  ^wwxlA.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison). 

1413.  Pyrola  rolutidifolia  I^.,  var.  piiiiiila  Hook. 
Ilopedalc  (Weiz)  ;  (piite  eonmion  along  the  northern 
coast  (R.  Bell). 

1 41 6.  Moficscs  un/jlora  Gray.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison)  ;  I  lopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 

I  )I  A  PEN  SI  ACE.  r.. 

1424.  Di ape  US  ill  procumhcns  Linn.  Ilopedalc 
(Weiz);  coast  of  Labrador  (Dr.  Morrison);  common 
on  hill-tops,  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Nain  and 
Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

PLUMIiA(;iNACE.i:. 

1426.  Armeria  vuli^aris  Willd.     Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison)  ;   Ilopedalc  (Weiz);    Nain   and   Nach 
vak  (R.  Bell). 

PRIM  U  LAC  E/E. 

1427.  Primula  farinosa  Linn.  Hopedale  Islands 
(Weiz) ;  Caribou  Island  and  L'Anse  Amour  (S.  K. 
Butler). 

1428.  Primula  Mistassinica  Michx.  Bonne  Esp(5r- 
ance  and  neighboring  islands,  and  at  Forteau  (S.  R. 
Butler)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz). 


-Mi 


I'LANTS. 


4t>5 


2192.  Primu/a  Jii^aiikscnsis  Ilorncin.  N  oil  lain 
Labrador  (Turner). 

1 2 13.  Trioitalis  .1  nuriiaua  I^ursli.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor (Hooker);  llopedalc  (Wciz);  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Hullcr). 

GENTIANArE.F.. 

1480.  Gcntiana  .Iviixrclla  L,  var.  acuta  Hook. 
Coast  of  Labrador  (Hooker);  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler);   Hoj)edale  (Weiz). 

1482.  Gcntiana  propimjna  Rieliards.  On  hillsides  at 
An'  ir  and  lowlands  at  Bonne  Lsi)ciance  (VV.  A. 
Stearns)  ;  more  likely  the  preeedin^  speeies  (Macoun). 

2194.  Gcntiana  nivalis  Linn.  Labrador,  colleeted  by 
Moravian  missionaries  (Gray)  ;    Ilopetlale  ( Wciz). 

1500.  P/ciiro<^y?ic  rotata  Griseb.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Gray) ;  on  the  ilats  at  Caribou,  and  shores  of 
Esquimaux  River,  and  at  Bonne  Esperance  (S.  R. 
Butler). 

1 50 1.  Plctirogynic  Carintliiaca  Griseb.,  var.  p2isilla 
Gray.     Coast  of  Labrador  (Pursh). 

1504.  Halcnia  dcflexa  Griseb.  Forteau  Bay  (Miss 
Brodie)  ;  on  the  hillsides  at  L'Anse  Amour  and  the  low- 
lands at  Bonne  Esperance  (\V.  E.  Stearns)  ;  Caribou 
Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1 506.  Afcnyanthcs  trifoliata  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison);  Hopedaie  (VVeiz)  ;  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 

BORRAGINACE/E. 

1570.  Mcrtensia  maritima  Don.  Hopedaie  (VVeiz); 
Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 


I' 


1 


J 


W' 


1. 1 


I     i    ' 


466 


THE   BOTANY   OF  THE    LABRADOR  COAST. 


SCROPHULARIACE.K. 


1674.  Veronica  alpina  Linn.  Nain  (Lundberg-; 
Hopedale  (Weiz). 

1689.  Castilleia  pallida  Kunth,  var.  septentrioiialis 
Gray.  (^Ba^^tsia pallida  Linn.;  Weiz'  List.)  Hopedale 
(Weiz)  ;  Ford's  Harbor  and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

1696.  Euphrasia  officinalis  \-Aww.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Hooker)  ;   Hopedale  (Weiz). 

Var.  Tatarica  Benth.  Coast  of  Labrador  (Pursli)  ; 
Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1697.  Bartsia  alpina  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Colmaster)  ;  Ungava  Bay  (McGill  Coll.  Herb.)  ;  Nach- 
vak (R.   Bell). 

1702.  Pcdicnlaris  Gra^nlandica^^iL.  Coast  of  Lab- 
rador (Dr.  Morrison)  ;  Nachvak  (R.  Bell)  ;  Hopedale 
(Weiz). 

1704.  Pedicular  is  Lapponica  Linn.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor (Colmaster)  ;  Nachvak  (R.  3ell)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz). 

1706.  Pedicularis  enphrasioides  Stephan.  Coast  of 
Labrador  (Colmaster)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Ford's 
Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

1714.  Pedicularis  hirsnta  Linn.  Ford's  Harbor  and 
Cap.  Chidley  (R.  Bell). 

1 71 5.  Pedicularis  flaminea 'L.mn.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
coast  of  Labrador  (Colmastery  ;  Ford's  Harbor  and 
Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

1 7 18.  Rhinanthtis  Cristagalli  U\nx\.  Common  along 
the  whole  Labrador  coast  (W.  E.  Stearns)  ;  Caribou  Isl- 
and (S.  R.  Butler) ;  Hopedale  (Weiz). 


waMWurtiM**  uijwj»ii-i.im». 


If': 


i 


PLANTS. 


LENTIBULARIACE/E. 


467 


1737.  Pinguicula  vulgaris  Linn.  Ungava  Bay  (Mrs. 
Lizzie  Crawford)  ;  L'Anse  Amour  Bay  (S.  R.  Butler)  ; 
Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

1 738.  Pinguicula  villosa  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Gray)  ;   Hopedale  (VVeiz). 

1739.  Pifigtdcula  alpina  Linn.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Steinhauer). 

PLANTAGINACE/E. 

1808.  Plantago  mar i lima  Linn.  Crevices  of  rocks, 
coast  of  Labrador  (Pursh)  ;  Hopedale  (VVeiz)  ;  Caribou 
Island  (S.  R.  Butler)  ;  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

FOLYGONACE.l-:. 

1869.  Polygonutn  avictilare\J\x\\\.     Hopedale  (Weiz). 

1892.  Polygonum  vivipariim\J\ViX\.  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ; 
Ford's  Harbor  and  Cape  Chidley  (R.  Bell). 

1902.  Oxyria  digyna  Campdera  {^Rumex  digyna 
Pursh.;  Weiz'  List).  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  coast  of  Lab- 
rador (Dr.  Morrison)  ;  Nachvak  and  Cape  Chidley  (R. 
Bell)  ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1904.  Runiex  occidcntalis  Watson.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor (Storer)  ;  Bonne  Esperance  (J.  A.  Allen). 

1867.  Koenigia  Islandica  Linn.     Hopedale  (Weiz). 

SANTALACE/E. 

1930.  Coinandra  livida  Rich.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison)  ;    Hopedale  (Weiz). 

BETULACE.E. 

1977.  Betula  papyri/era  Michx.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor (Prof  Sargent). 


I  i^iii 


i!i 


S^:   i 


r'l  -r'n    ■ 


i''t 


I- 1  h 
ifli'  If 


llil 


1,  ! 


t 


iy 


468 


THE   BOTANY    OF   THE   LABRADOR   COAST. 


ail 


1979.  Betula    piimila    Linn.      Coast    of    Labrador 
(Hooker). 

1 98 1.  Bet7cla  giandiilosay\.\c\\x.     Coast  of   Labrador 
(Hooker)  ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

1982.  Betula  na7ia  Linn.      Coast  of  Labrador  (Dr. 
Morrison). 

1986.  Alnus   viridis    DC.    Coast   of    Labrador  (Dr. 
Morrison);  Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

SALICACE.E. 

2004.  Salix  adcnophylla  Hook.     Coast  of   Labrador 
(Dr.  Morrison  and  Bebb). 

2007.  Salix  ai'ctica  R.  Br.     Coast  of   Labrador  (Dr. 
Morrison)  ;  Nachvak  and  Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

2005.  Salix  argy7'ocarpa  Anders.      Ungava    Bay  (G. 
Barnston)  ;  Forteau  Bay  and  Carrall  Cove  (Alien). 

2010.  Salix  balsaniij era  ^■axtaXX..   Chateau  and  Square 
Island  (Allen). 

2012.  Salix  Candida  Willd.     Forteau  Bay  (Allen). 

2013.  Salix  chlorophylla   Anders.     Nain  and  Ford's 
Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

2021.  Salix  glatica   Linn.     Damp  places  at  Nachvak 
and  Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

2022.  Salix  hcrbacca  Linn.     Coast  of  Labrador  (Dr. 
Morrison)  ;  Nain  and  Cape  Chidley  (R.  Bell). 

2042.  Salix   rctiailata    Linn.      Nachvak    and     Caj)e 
Chidley  (R.  Bell)  ;  coast  of  Labrador    (Dr.  Morrison). 

2050.  Salix  vestita  Pursh.     Coast  of  Labrador  (Col- 
master)  ;  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

2051.  Salix    Uva-ursi    Pursh.      Coast    of    Labrador 
(Colmaster)  ;  Dead  Islands  (Allen). 

2053.  Populus  trctnuloides  Michx.     On  dry  slopes  in 
the  interior  (Hooker). 


PLANTS.  ^ 

EMPETRACEvE. 

CONIFER/E. 

of  ilid?;$rk:~""  "^-  "'^'"'^  '-■■""•  ^°^^' 

2082.  ^.jr.«  „,^^«  Li„k.     Not  uncommon  (Hooker^ 

2083.  /-...«  «/^.  Link.     Not  uncommon  (Hooker 
2094.  Lartx     Americana     Michv        «?,        "°''^'>„ 

(Hooker).  '       Sv.ampy     soil 

ORCHIDACEyE. 

2221.  Listera   cordata    R.    Br      Tnact   r>f   i    u     j 
(Morrison)  ;  Hopedale  (Welz)  ^"'"''°'' 

(S.^R.^Bu^tr"''  ^'''"^'"'''  '^^  ^'-     ^'"''''°"  '^'•'•"^ 
R.^Bmlerf''"""'"'""'''^  ''"''•     ^^^■■''°"  I^'-d(S. 

(VVeiS  ^'''"''"  "''"''''"  ""■'"•     ""P^^'^'^  I^'='"ds 

IRIDACE.E. 

2270.  /r/s  Hookeri  Pennv      /^/  .v/ •    •      txt  .  , 
Hopedale  Island  (Weiz).  '''''        "  ^'''•> 

LILIACE/E. 

(S^R.^Bmle?"''"  '^'^^''"^-'/"^-^  Do.     Caribou  Island 

2288    St,-eptofius  roseus  Michx.     Caribou   Island  (S 
R  Butler)  ;  Hopedale  (Welz)  *■ 

R.'Butiert"'"""  "''''"''  ""'''■      '''"'°"  '^'"'''  (S. 


I  :ii 


•  1 


!■:?:;  i^'     1 


tm 


!;■:   ■■-■"■:  ■  '■■ 


I;:  JiilJ  n        I 


I: 

iii 

Ij   ! 


Si  J: 


i 
IV' <  ^ 


470 


THE  BOTANY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


2293.  Smilicina  trifolia  Desf.  Caribou  Island  (S. 
R.  Butler). 

2294.  Maianthemum  Canadense  Desf.  Caribou  Isl- 
and (S.  R.  Butler). 

2329.  Tofieldia  borealis  Wahl.  Ford's  Harbor  (R. 
Bell)  ;  coast  of  Labrador  (Hooker)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz). 

2341.  Clintonia  borealis  Raf.  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 

JUNCACE/E. 

2367.  ytmcus  triglurnis  Linn.  Ungava  Bay  (G.  Barn- 
ston). 

2369.  yunciis  castaneus  Smith.  Ungava  Bay  (G. 
Barnston). 

2389.  Luztda  spadicea,  var.  parvijiora  Meyer.  Nain 
and  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

2394.  Lttsula  spicata  Desv.  Ungava  Bay  (G.  Barn- 
ston) ;  Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

2396.  Liizula  arcuata  Meyer.  Ungava  Bay  (G. 
Barnston)  ;  Nachvak  (R.  Bell). 

TYPHACE/E. 

2401.  Sparganiuvt  simplex  Huds.  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 

2403.  Spargaiiium  hyperboretim  Laest.,  var.  Atueri- 
canum  Beeby.     Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 


-a 


lii 


NAIADACE/E. 


2424.    Triglochin   pahistre    Linn. 
(S.  R.  Butler). 


Caribou    Island 


PLANTS. 


471 


2425.  Triglochin  maritimum  Linn.  Coast  of  Lab- 
rador (Dr.  Morrison). 

CYPERACE.'E. 

2489.  Eriophorum      vaginatum      Linn.        Hopedale 

(VVeiz) ;  Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler) ;    Bonne  Esp(5r- 
ance  (Allen)  ;  Dumpling  Harbor  (Mann). 

2490.  Eriophorum  rtisseoliim  Fries.  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler,  Martin)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz)  ;  Fortcau 
(Allen) ;  Nain  (Lundberg). 

2491.  Eriopho7'um  polystachyon,  var.  august ifoliuin 
Gray.     Hopedale  (VVeiz). 

Eriophorum  Scheuchzeri  Hoppe.  Coast  of  Labra- 
dor (Martin)  ;  Nain  (Lundberg). 

2476.  Scirpiis  cc€spitosus  Linn.     Hopedale  (VVeiz). 

2556.  Carcx  canescens  Linn.  Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 

2564.  Carcx  lagopina  Wahl.  Maritime  rocks,  Labra- 
dor (Allen). 

2566.  Carex  pratensis  Drejer.  Middle  Bay,  Labra- 
dor (Allen). 

2598.  Carex  vulgaris,  var.  hypcrborea  Boott.  Nain 
and  Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

2604.  Carex  lenticular  is  Michx.  Coast  of  Labrador, 
Lat.  51°  30'  (Allen). 

2608.  Carex  salina^2\\\.    Coast  of  Labrador(  Bailey). 

2609.  Carex  ambusta  Booth.  Ungava  Bay,  North 
Labrador  (Bailey). 

2617.  Carex  Mage llafiica  Lamarck.  Caribou  Island 
(S.  R.  Butler). 

2618.  Carex  rariflora  Smith.  Coast  of  Labrador 
(Miss  Brodie  and  Allen). 


hf 


!"1' 


'i 


i|! 


1 


nf 


';  Si^' 


'il'i! 


I'     I 
I 


I 


472 


THE  BOTANY  OF  THE  LABRADOR  COAST. 


2627.  Carex  vaginata  Tausch.  Northern  Labrador 
(Turner). 

2672.  Cai'ex  oligosperma  Michx.  Swamps  on  the 
coast  of  Labrador  (Allen). 

2674.   Carex  mil iai' is  M\c\\'^,    Ungava  Bay  (Turner). 

2678.  Carex  rotundata  Wahl.    Ungava  Bay  (Turner). 


W 


GRAMINE.E. 

2726.  Hierochloa  alpina  Roem.  and  Schultes.  Ford's 
Harbor  (R.  Bell)  ;   Ungava  Bay  (G.  Barnston). 

2807.  Deschampsia  alba  Roem.  and  Schultes.  Ungava 
Bay  (G.  Barnston)  ;  Nain  (R.  Bell). 

2812.  Trisetum  sitbspicatum,  van  molle  Gray.  Nain 
(R.  Bell). 

2848.  Poa  alpina  Linn.  Nain  and  Cape  Chidley(R. 
Bell). 

2854.  Poa  ccjiisia  All.     Ford's  Harbor  (R.  Bell). 

2905.  Fcstiica  ovina,  van  brevi folia  Watson.  Ford's 
Harbor  ( R.  Bell). 

2949.  Elyiims  mollis  Trin.  Nain  and  Ford's  Harbor 
(i^..  Bell). 


EQUISETACE.E. 


Eqnisctum    sylvaticwn     Linn.       Hopedale     (Weiz)  ; 
Caribou  Island  (S.  R.  Butler). 

Eqitisetiim  arvcnse  Linn.      Hopedale  (Weiz). 


FILICES. 


Botrychium  Lunaria  Swartz.     Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler)  ;  Hopedale  (Weiz). 

Cystopteris  fragilis  Bernh.     Nain  (R.  Bell). 


;i.,..-^wztB-^-ik-.-.j^i^:^.--.'  fi.  f 


PLANTS. 


473 


Polypodium  Dryopteris  Linn.     Caribou  Island  (S.  R. 
Butler). 


1 


\\\ 


LYCOPODIACE/E. 

Lycopodium  Selago  Linn.  Nain  and  Ford's  Harbor 
(R.  Bell). 

Lycopodium  lucidulum  Michx.  Caribou  Island  (S. 
R.  Butler). 

APPENDIX. 

The  following  notes  and  corrections  to  this  chapter 
have  been  made  by  Mr.  Sereno  Watson,  who  kindly  read 
the  proof  in  the  absence  of  Prof.  Macoun.  Proof  of 
pp.  448-459  was  read  after  the  pages  had  been  printed. 
Mr.  Watson  writes  me  that  the  earliest  paper  on  the 
Labrador  flora  was  one  by  Schrank  in  the  first  volume 
of  the  Regensburg  "  Flora"  (1818),  on  some  plants  sent 
to  Schreber  by  the  Danish  missionary  Kohlmeister*. 
It  was  not  completed,  however.  Meyer's  list  includes 
198  species. 

P.  448,  line  5,  for  plantcs  rtdidi  plantis. 

P.  448,  line  14,  for  Ance  read  Anse. 

P.  451,  line  15,  for  cormiti,  Linn.  xt2i6.  polygaittim, 
Muhl. 

P.  451,  line  23,  dele  See  R.  Americamis  (J.  M.). 

P.  452,  line  20,  for  Draba  alpina  Var.  (?)  cory^nbosa, 
Durand,  read  Draba  Fladnitzensis,  Wulf. 

P.  452,  line  21,  add  Dead  Islands  (J.  A.  Allen). 

P.  452,  line  24,  after  Labrador  (Pursh),  add  from  the 
next  line,  Nachvak,  coast  of  Labrador  (R.  Bell). 

*  Spelt  Colmaster  in  the  foregoing  list. 


%  \ 


•1 


,     I 


!    I.        ' 


474 


THE   BOTANY   OK   THE   LABRADOR  COAST. 


P.  452,  line  25,  dele  Var.  confusa  Poir. 

P.  452,  line  26,  dele  Ilopedale  (Weiz). 

P.  452,  line  27,  for  Draba  read  Van;  and  for  Michx. 
read  Watson. 

P.  453,  line  10,  dele  sylvestris  Regd.  V. 

P.  453,  line  1 1,  for  Weiz*  List  read  Gray. 

P.  454,  line  27,  for   Spergularia    salina    Presb.    read 
Buda  borealis  Watson. 

P.  454,  line  28,  add  Bonne  Esp^rance  (J.  A.  Allen). 

P.  455,  lines  5,  6.  for  and  the  arctic  regions  (Dr.)  read 
Schweinitz  in  Herb.  Gray. 

P.  455,  line  10,  add   Ungava    Bay  (L.   M.    Turner); 
Square  Island  (J.  A.  Allen). 

P.  455,  line  II,  for  Mott  read  Nutt. 

P.  455,  line  13,  for  maritimum    read  maritimus,  and 
dele  Pisum  maritimum  Linn.     Weiz'  List. 

P.  455,  line  20,  after   Caribou    Island   insert   (S.    R. 
Butler). 

P.  457,  line  10,  dele  Canadensis  Var.  (?)  ;  and  for  I  & 
Gr.  read  Roem. 

P.  457,  line  30,  for  Hit.  read  Kit. 

P.  459,  line  6,  de\e  pahcstre  Linn.  Van;  and  for  Gray 
read  Muhl. 

P.  459,  line  10,  for  Hoffm.  read  Linn. 

P.  459,  line  14,  for  Archangelica  read    Coelopleuruni\ 
and  for  Db.  read  Lecheb. 


.    t 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  OF  BOOKS  AND  ARTICLES  RELATING  TO  THE 
GEOGRAPHY  AND  CIVIL  AND  NATURAL  HISTORY  OF 
LABRADOR. 


This  list  is  merely  a  tentative  one,  and  will  doubtless 
be  found  quite  imperfect,  especially  in  titles  relating  to 
early  discovery,  and  early  maps  and  charts.  The  au- 
thor is  indebted  for  certain  titles,  also  for  advice,  to  Dr. 
Franz  Boas,  who  has  kindly  lent  him  Chavanne's  "  The 
Literature  on  the  Polar  Regions  of  the  Earth,"  from 
which  a  number  of  titles  have  been  copied.  Acknowl- 
edgment of  aid  should  also  be  made  to  Mr.  W.  F. 
Ganong  for  titles  of  the  North  American  Pilot.  The 
titles  of  the  works  of  Ramusio,  Eden,  Gilbert,  Frobisher, 
and  Hakluyt  have  not  been  included.  * 


A.  Explorations,  Geography,  and   History. 

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Anspach  {C.  A.).  Geschichte  und  Beschreibung  von 
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475 


;im! 


476 


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Bref  rilicit  et  succinate  narration  de  la  navi- 
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Les  cartes  sont  tres  curieuses,  elles  sont  reproduites 
en  fac-simile  d'apres  celles  de  Ramusio,  1556. 

• Discours  du  voyage  fait  en  (1534),  par  le 

capitaine  Jacques  Cartier  aux  torres  neuves  de  Canada, 
Norembergue,  Hochelage,  Labrador  et  pays  adiacens, 
dite  Nouvelle  France.  Public  par  H.  Michelant. — 
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{^papier  vHin  Whatman,  public  au  prix  de  20  fr.)(29). 

Avec  2  grandes  cartes  tiroes  du  Ramusio  de  1556,  et 
reproduites  en  fac-simile. 


iMntj()(;RAiMiv. 


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coast  of  Labrador  containin<Tf  many  interesting^  ])articii- 
lars,  both  of  the  country  and  its  inhabitants,  not  iiilherto 
known.     3  vols,  with  charts.     Newark,  i  792,  410. 

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de  Terre  Neuve  ;  et  pour  en  fixer  les  principaux  points 
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Chappell  {Lieut.  Edward).  Narrative  of  a  voyage  to 
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\  I 


in 


I 


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Undertaken  by  order  of  the  French  king,  containing 
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:„,(!  ) 


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li!     I 


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Richardson  {Sir  John).  Fauna  l^oreali-Americana. 
Vol.  i-iv.     London,  1829-1837.    410. 

{jfohn).      Lisl   of  plants  collected  vi^  the  island 

of  Anticosti  and  coast  of   Labrador  in    :86o.     Canada, 
Botanical  Society  Ann.     i,  1861-1862.     pp.  58-59. 

Sniiidcr  {Sanmel  Hiibbard).  Descri|)tion  of  some 
Labradorian  Butterflies.  Proc.  Soc.  Nat.  Hist.  Boston, 
XVII,  1874.     pp.  294-314. 

A  revised  list  of  the  butterflies  ol)tained  in 

Labrador  bv  Dr.  A.  S.  Packard,  Canadian  Entomologist, 
Auo-.  1888.      p.  148. 

Spencer  {Miles).  Notes  on  the  breeding  habits  of 
certain  mammals,  from  personal  observations  and  en- 
quiries from  Indians.  (Appendix  iii.  to  A.  P.  Low's 
Report  on  Explorations  in  James  Bay,  etc.  Report 
Geol.  and  Nat.  Hist.  Survev  of  Canada  for  1887-88,  m. 
p.  82.    1889.) 

Stearns  (  Winfred  Alden^.  Notes  on  the  natural  his- 
tory of  Labrador.  Proc.  U.  S.  Nat.  Museum,  vi.  Aug. 
I,  1883.     8vo.     pp.  1 11-137. 

Stearns  (  Winfred  A.).  Bird  life  in  Labrador.  Re- 
printed from  the  American  Field,  Chicago,  111.      1890. 

Steinhanr  {Henry).  Notes  on  the  geology  of  the 
Labrador  coast.  Trans.  Geol.  Soc.  London,  it,  18 14. 
pp.  488-494. 

Stnpart  {R.  F.).  The  Eskimo  of  Stupart  Bay. 
(Can.  Institute,  new  ser.  iv.  pp.  95-114.  Toronto, 
1886.     8vo.) 

Turner  {Lucien  M.).  List  of  the  birds  of  Labrador, 
including  Ungava,  East  Main,  Moose  and  Gulf  districts 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


497 


of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  together  with  the  island 
of  Anticosti.  Proc.  U.  S.  National  Museum,  viii,  July 
13.  1885. 

On  the  Indians  and  Eskimos  of  the  Un- 

gava  district,  Labrador  (Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Canada,  sect. 
11;   1887.    99-119-) 

Physical  and  zoological  character  of  the 

Ungava  District,  Labrador.  (Trans.  Roy.  Soc.  Canada, 
sect.  IV,  1887.     pp.  79-83.) 

Thorell  (  Tamerlane).  Notice  of  some  spiders  from 
Labrador.  (Proc.  Boston  Soc.  Nat.  Hist,  xvii,  Boston, 
1875.    8vo.  pp.  490-504.) 

Vogelsang  {H^.  Sur  le  Labradorite  colore  de  la  c6te 
de  Labrador.  (Verhandl.  d.  Geolog.  Reichsanst.,  Wien., 
1868  ;  p.  107.) 


C.    CHARTS. 

Besides  the  ancient  maps  and  charts  illustrating  the 
discoveries  of  the  early  voyagers,  and  referred  to  or 
copied  on  pp.  33-59,  Winsor  (Narr.  and  Crit.  History  of 
America,  i,  120)  states:  "What  was  apparently  a  work- 
ing Portuguese  chart  of  1503,  grasps  pretty  clearly  the 
relations  of  Greenland  to  Labrador." 

Northern  Labrador,  Greenland  with  Baffin's  Bay, 
Straits  Davis's  and  Hudson.  Amsterdam,  P.  Mortier, 
1700. 

Canada  et  pays  voisin.  Par  Guillaume  Delisle,  Pre- 
mier G^ographe  du  Roi.     Paris,  1 703. 

A  Collection  of  charts  of  the  coasts  of  New  Found- 
land  and  Labrador,  with  the  particular  plans  of  the  prin- 
cipal harbors.     Drawn  from  original  surveys  taken  by 


I   ! 


498 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


James  Cook  and  M.  Lane,  and  J.  Gilbert ....  chiefly 
engraved  by  Thomas  Jefferys,  geographer  to  the  king. 
London,  J.  Jefferys,  1766-1770. 

Arrowsmith  (A.).  Northern  seas  between  Europe 
and  America,  including  the  American  coast  (New 
Foundland,  Labrador,  and  Greenland).  London,  1808. 
(Name  of  Hamilton  Inlet  applied  to  Invuctoke  Bay.) 

The  North  American  pilot  |  for  Newfoundland,  Lab- 
rador, I  the  Gulf  and  River  St.  Lawrence  :  |  being  a  col- 
lection of  I  sixty  accurate  charts  and  plans,  |  drawn  from 
original  surveys  :  |  taken  by  |  James  Cook  and  Michael 
Lane,  surveyors,  |  and  Joseph  Gilbert,  and  other  officers 
in  the  king's  service.  |  Published  by  permission  of  the  | 
Right  Hon.  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Admiralty  : 
I  chiefly  engraved  by  |  the  late  Thomas  Jefferys,  geog- 
rapher to  the  king.  |  On  thirty-six  large  copper-plates.  | 
London  :  ]  Printed  according  to  Act  of  Parliament  and 
sold  by  R.  Sayer  and  J.  Bennett,  No.  53,  in  Fleet  Street. 
I  MDccLxxix.  I  N.B.  Of  whom  may  be  had  Sailing  Direc- 
tions to  the  above  charts. 

A  new  and  enlarged  edition  of  this  work  was  published 
in  1799,  containing  61  charts  on  T,y  copper-plates. 
Printed  and  published  by  Robert  Laurie  and  James 
Whittle. 

(The  edition  of  which  the  title  is  quoted  above  seems 
to  be  simply  a  reprint  of  the  ist  edition,  which  appeared 
in  1 775.  I  have  not  been  able  to  see  a  copy  of  the  latter, 
but  from  its  title  on  Harvard  College  Library  Catalogue 
cards,  think  the  title  is  exactly  as  given  below. 

Sailing  directions  |  for  this  |  North  American  Pilot:  | 
containing   the  |  Gulf   and    River    St.    Lawrence,  |  the 
whole  island  of  Newfoundland,  |  including  |  the  Strait 


BIBLIOGRAI'HV. 


499 


Of  Belle  Isle,  |  and  the  coast  of  Labrador.  |  Givin.  a 
parfcular  account,  etc.  |  London.  |  Printed  fo!  R.^e, 
and  J.  Bennett.  |  mdcclxxv   |  ^ 

Part.e  de  TAm^rique  Sept.,  qui  comprend  le  C-.n.da 
a  Lou,s,a„e,  le  Labrador,  le  Groenland.'la  No  v.  A  1: 

P  rTs    :  ;■  "''S  "•  '■  ''''""'■     ^'^"^  '-■°'°'-  -'  f-'^"- 
fails,  1 77 1.     Chaque  30  x  44  cm. 

pa  sage  of  Hudson,  Frobisher,  and  DavLs,  with  Plan  of 
Manvers  Port,  1808-1863 

^;-ha,le.s  to   Sandwich   Bay.  surveyed  by  order  of   Hon 
Commodore  Bvron       Mv  Mlrh,,.l  T       ^  "'"<='    "'    *'o"- 
I        ,        .         .''""■      oy  ivjichael  Lane,  survevor     •>  ».fl 
London,  W.  Faden,  ,809.  '^e>o,.    2ed. 

J/.r..    (7,,/,ife/„.      -r|„    American    Gazetteer    etc 

Map.       Third  edit.     Boston,  July,  ,8,0.     Art     Labra: 

T Th    5  """P  ^"'''   '""'^   "'""'-■«  "f  places   on   the 

Labrador    coast    which    we    have    not    se'en    on    other 

etc^T^r^,^    J''"    '^"'"'"'''"     Universal    Geography; 
A.   w  /^l-    ^^^^^"''"^dition.     Vol.,,,  ,8,9.     8vo 
^«./../(Z«v«  r/..).   Missionatlas  der  Brtidc-Unitat 
15  Karten  ,„  Q,,  Polio,  Farbendruck  nm  Tex     He  r"  " 
hut   Expedition  der  Missions-Verwaltung,  ,86.  ' 

bt.  Lewis    Sound    and    Inlet,   surv.  by    Bayfield     ,8« 
.:7;,ooo     London,    Hydrogr.  Office,  ^863,  No    ,'.''' 

Uirador  Coas^,    Hamilton   Inlet.    Capt.  SirF   Mc- 
Chntock   ,860.  London,  Hydrogr.  Office,  ,864 

Laira^or  Coast,  Indian   Harbor,  Commander  Chim- 


t 


500 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


mo,  1867,  1:12,172.  London,  Hydrogr.  Office,  1868, 
No.  222. 

Labrador  Coast,  Webeck  and  Hopedale  Harbors  and 
Allik  Bay.  Commander  Chimmo,  1867,  1:24,344.  Lon- 
don, Hydrogr.  Office,  1868,  No.  223. 

Labrador  Coast,  Indian  Tickle  and  Occasional  Har- 
bors. Commander  Chimmo,  1867,  1:24,344.  London, 
Hydrogr.  Office,  1868,  No.  225. 

Labrador  Coast,  Domino  Run.  Lieut.  J.  J.  A. 
Gravener,  1867,  1:18,255.    London,  Hydrogr.  Office. 

Labrador  Coast,  Cape  Charles  to  Sandwich  Bay,  vari- 
ous authorities,  corrected  to  1867.  1:243,440.  London, 
Hydrogr.  Office,  1869,  No.  263. 

Labrador,  with  plans  of  Port  Manvers  and  Eclipse 
Harbor.     London,  Hydrogr.  Office,  1871,  No.  1422. 

Labrador,  Commander  Maxwell's  Chart.  London, 
1871? 

Rezckel(^L.  Tk.).  Labrador.  Aivektok  oder  Eskimo 
Bay,  1873.  Lith.  1:2,300,000.  Missionsblatt  der 
Brudergemeinde. 

Labrador,  compiled  from  various  documents  in  the 
Hydrographic  Office,  London,  1881.  (Large  corrections, 
June,  1 88 1.  Small  corrections  ix,  1884,  with  plans  of 
Port  Manvers  and  Eclipse  Harbor.) 

Weiz  and  Packard.  Map  of  Labrador,  compiled  by 
J.  Leuthner,  from  British  Admiralty  maps,  and  an  un- 
published Moravian  map  (prepared  by  Rev.  Samuel 
Weiz).  Bulletin  of  the  American  Geographical  Society, 
No.  4,  1887. 

Cape  Cod  to  Belle  Isle.  Imray  &  Son,  London,  1886. 
("  By  far  the  best  map  we  have  of  this  coast."  Ganong, 
p.  126.) 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 


501 


r.o^"Z^^"'Tl  .  Bibliography  of  Ptolemy's  Geog. 
raphy  Harvard  University  Bulletin.  Bibliographical 
Contributions,  No.  ,8,  1884.  "og'aphical 

Ganongi^W.  F.).  Cartography  of  the  Gulf  of  St 
Lawrence  from  Cartier  to  Champlain.  Proc.  and  Trans 
Royal  Soc.  of  Canada,  vol.  vii.  for  ,889.    ,890 


ERRATA. 


Pp   120  and  140.  for  Cape  St.  Michael's  read  Cape  St.  Michael 
P.  396.    The  remainder  of  the  list  of  insects  will  h.  t       '   "^"**''- 
P.  484.    Add  to  Bibliography  HuThZT!l7      v  '^  °"  ^P"  ^"^^  ^""^  447. 

See  p.  29,  foot-note.         ^'''^^^'  ^"'"^"^'^^  {Alexander  von).    Examen  critique. 


i 

i 

i 
i 

/ 
/ 
/ 
/ 

A 
A 
A 
A 
A 
A 
A 

A 
Bi 
Bi 
Bi 
Bi 

Be 
Be 


Be 
Be 


Be 
Be 
Be 
Be] 


INDEX. 


Abbot,  C.  C,  245 

Acadian  fauna,  337 

Ailik  Head.  31^8 

AIca  impennis,  342,  360 

AUagaigai,  Mount,  6,  182 

Allen,  J.  A.,  406 

Alpine  fauna,  176,  356 

flora,  66,  341" 
American  Island,  166 
Anorthoslte  formation,  282 
Anse-au-Loup,  118 
Anse-au-Sablon,  236.  281 
Aphanite,  285 
Arachnida,  385 
Arctic  fauna,  63,  356,  365 

Arenariagroenlandica.  63,  340,  345 
Ascidians,  396  ^ 

Auk,  great,  256,  342.  360 
Aulatsivik  gneiss,  284 
Island,  228 
Auroras,  78 
Bache,  Mount,  7,  294 
Banks,  Labrador,  241,  318 
Basalt,  doleritic,  134 
Battle  Island,  136 

Point,  221 
Bayfield's  charts,  58 
Beaches,  raised,  130,  162,  170,   178, 

Inl'  f^^'  "°'  ^3°.  315.  353.  305. 

307,  309,  3T0,  3ir 
neacon,  197 
Bear,  black,  34 

Beetles^'s;*  '''  ''''  ''"''  ''''  3" 
Bell.  Robert,  8,  9,  301.  322 
5  II        A  '  "9.  129.  134,  280 
Belles  Amours,  no,   na,  234,  281, 


j      Bethuks.  257 

I      Biarne's  Voyage,  21 

Birch,  dwarf,  177 
I  paper,  151 

j      Bird  rocks,  96 
'      Birds,  list  of,  406 

Birds,  sea,  gi,  126,  167 

Black  and  White  Island.  168,  280 

Blanc  Sablon,  43,  116,  219,  234.  237, 

Boas,  Franz,  226 

Bonne  Esp6rance,  232 

Bowlders,  150,  303 

Brachiopods,  373 

Bradford,  William.  93 

Bradore,  u6,  262,  280 
Bay,  281 
Hills,  6 

Brest,  108,  239,  265  : 

Butterflies,  395 

Button's  voyage,  56 

Cabot.  Mount,  165 

Cabot's  voyages,  33 

Cambrian  rocks,  117,  281 

Caniapuscaw,  Lake,  15  " 

Canso,  Gut  of.  94 

Capelin.  154,  401  . 

Carabus  groenlandicus,  160  ' 

Caribou,  209 

Caribou  Island,  65.  85 

upper,  137 
Carpenter,  C   C,  64,  245.  266 
Cartier,  J..  Voyages  of,  41 

Mount,  108,  109 
Cartwright,  George,  256 
Cartwright's  Tickle,  290 
Castle  Island,  286,  307 
Cephalopods,  379 

503 


504 


INDEX. 


Chadbourne,  Paul  A.,  60 

Charles,  Cape,  136 

Charlevoix,  258 

Chiteau  Bay,  130,  239,  247,  250,  311, 

Chert,  2QO 

Chidley,  Cape,  8,27(9 

Chimo,  Fort,  16,  231,  406. 

Chionobas,  167 

semidea,  341 
Chudleigh,  Cape,  8,  279 
Clays,  Leda,  323,  339,  351 
Clione  limacina,  ii^ 
Cloudberry,  69 
Coast,  elevation  of,  322,  324 
Coats,  W.,  249 
Cod,  bull-dog,  179 

fishery,  124,  126,  146,  154,  156, 
240 ,  398 
Ccelenterates,  368 
Coleoptera,  387 
Cormorant,  103 
Cortereal's  voyage,  37 
Crantz,  250 
Crustaceans,  381 
Curlewberry,  63,  107 
Curlews,  78,  gi 
Cusk,  399 
Davis  Inlet,  53 
Davis'  voyage,  52 
Despair  Harbor,  19 
Devil's  Dining  Table.   120,   128,    134 
Dewitz,  A.,  von,  273 
Diptera,  390 
Domino  gneiss,  159,  286 

Harbor,  159,  218,  286,  310 

Run,  159,  219 
Dredging.  76,  no,  113,  125,  127, 145, 

153,  160,  218,  223 
Duck,  eider,  101,  105 -.    \(j1 
Duffy,  179.  399 

Dumplin  Harbor,  161,  164,  218,  287 
Echinoderms,  370 
Eggers,  104 

Elevation  of  coast,  322,  324 
Entry  Island,  96 
Eskimo,  67 

camp,  193 

dress,  200 

game,  254 

graves,  207,  263 

in  New  Foundland,246,  252 

house,  270 

longevity  of,  208,  269 

mean  height,  199 

numbers  of,  235,  261,  272 

population,  235 


Eskimo,  ruins,  262 

their  former  range,  245 
yearly  life,  275 
Esquimaux  Island,  265,  267 

River,  I,  2,  II,  73,  74,  80, 

232 
Falco  candicans,  181 
Fauna,  circumpolar,  337,  356 
Fiords.  18, 228 
Fisheries,    124,    126,    132,   146,    154, 

156,  240,  243 

herring,  132,  240 
Fishes,  397 

Fishing  Ship  Harbor,  138 
Flies,  390 

Fly,  black,  74,  86,  89 
Flora,  Labrador,  63,  69,  143,  201,  344 
Flounder,  398 
Ford's  Bight,  191 
Forests,  dwarf,  86 
Forteau,  117 

Fossils,  quaternary,  75,  79,  107,  124 
Fox,  133,  187,  209 

blue,  180,  209 
Frobisher's  voyage,  48 
Frog,  126,  405 

Game,  72,  loi,  133,  167,  194 
Gasteropods,  376 
Geology,    279 
George,  River,  15 
Gibbons*  voyage,  56 
Glacial  beds,  336 

marks,  150,  216,  293 
Glaciers,  172,  219 
Gneiss,  Domino,  159,  286 

Laurentian,  280 
Gore  Island  Harbor,  316 
Grand  Falls,  231 

River,  121,  231 
Granite,  285 
Grasshopper,  150 
Greely  Islands,  163 
Greville's  Fort,  129,  239 
Groswater  Bay,  166 
Grouse,  73 
Gull  Island,  319 
Hake,  399 
Hamilton  Inlet,  53,  166,  288,  298 

geology  of,  285,  288 
River,  12 
Handy,  Ichabod,  93 
Harrison,  Cape,  181,  J's,  283,  286 
Hebron,  199,  311 
Helluland,  29,  32 
Hemiptera,  386 
Henley  Island,  129,  310 


INDEX. 


505 


Henley  Harbor,  120,    132,  220,  a8o. 

281,  285,  307 
Herring  fishery,  132,  240,   243,   318, 

403 
Hind,  H.  Y.,  10.  13,  318 
History  of  Labrador,  234 
Holme,  Randle  F.,  231 
Hopedale,   197,   199,    253,    283,    286 

310,  323 
Horsford,  E.  N.,  30 
Horsechops  Island,  165,  301 
House,  winter,  124 
Hudson  Bay  Co.  posts,  234 
Hudson's  voyage,  56 
Huntington  Island,  163,  287,  280. 
Hydroids,  368  ^ 

Icebergs,  135,  157 
Ice.  floe,  no,  173,  205,  317,  357 
foot,  173,  313 
Tickle,  170,  218 
Indian  Harbor.  170,  216,  288,  299 

Harbor  Islands,  321 
Indians,  red,  188,  256,  359 
Insects,  63,  102.  141,  150.   176,  207, 
225,  386  '' 

Iron,  magnetic,  285 
Isle  of  Demons,  119 

Ponds,  158,  289 
Ivuctoke  Inlet,  53,  166 
Jasper,  290 
Kaubkonga  River,  229 
Kauk  River,  229 
Kaumajet,  Mount,  9,  227,  284 
Kayak,  207 
Keith,  Lake,  285 
Kenamou  River,  13 
Kiglapeit,  Mount,  9,  227,  284 
Killer,  152 

Kippokok  Bay,  195,  255,  318 
Koch,  R.,  227,  274 
Kohl,  J.  G.,  21 
Kohlmeister,  2,    15 
Koksoak  River,  15,  406 
Knoch,  2,  15 
Kypocock  Bay,  318 
Labradorite,   282 
Labrador  current,  320,  357 

Maps  of,  3 
Lamellibranchs,  373 
Latrobe.  B.,  273 
Lauren  tian  rocks,  117,  279 
Leda  arctica,  347,  350 

portlandica,  347,  350 
clays,  292.  323,  339,  351 
Leit  s  voyage,  27,  30 
Lepidoptera,  391 


Lieber,  O.  M.,  284 

Limacina  helicina,  215 

Lobster,  71,  203,  384 

Long  Island,  163 

Lunoid  glacial  marks,  216,  298 

Mackerel,  397 

Magdalen  islands,  96,  223 

Maggovik  Bay,  209 

Magnetite,  285,  290 

Mammals,  442 

Mealy  mountains,  6,  13,  159,  164 

Mecatiiia,  Cape,  100 

.  Little,  Island,  99,  280,  300 
Mercator  s  map,  4(1 
Meshikumau  River,  2,  ri    71,  74,  80 
Minerva,  239 
Mirage,  99,  136,  138 
Misery,  Mount,  6,182. 
Moisie  River,  10 
Molluscs,  373 

quarternary,  326 
Montaignais,  14,  67,' 189,  239,  264 
Moravian  settlements,  199 
Mosquito,  86,  191 
Moths,  391 
Mount  AUagaigai,  6,182 

Cabot,  165 

Cartier,  109 

Misery,  6,  182 
Mountaineers,   14,  67,  189,  239,  256, 

2  Oil 

Mountains  of  Labrador,  6,  7,  8 

Mugford,  Cape,  9,  319 

Murre,  loi,  170,  180 

Muskrat,  155 

Myriopoda,  286 

Nain,  199,  327,  229,  253,  311 

Nachvak  Inlet,  9,  284,  315 

Nascopi  Indians,  239,  256,  264 

Nasquapee  Indians,  239,  256,  264 

Nautilus,  voyage  of,  60 

Newfoundland,  61 

Newfoundlanders,  240 

Nisbei's  Harbor,   191 

Norsemen,  21 

North,  Cape,  163,  289 

Nucula  expansa,  108 

Occasional  Harbor,  139 

Odonata,  386 

Okkak,  199,  201,  202,  227,  253 

Orthoptera,  386 

Otter,  68 

Pandorina  arenosa,  108 

Parroqueet  Island,  43  y 

Penguin,  256 

Pike's  Harbor,  164 


5o6 


INDEX. 


Pikkintil  Islands,  2H4 
Pitt's  Arm,  124,  308,  323 
Plants,  list  of,  447 
Platyptera.  387 
F'lecloptera,  3H7 

Polyomniatus  fianklinii,  177,  207 
F'olyps,  3«)8 
Polyzoans,  371 
Porcupint",  Cape,  321 
Port  Biirwell,  (j 
Man  vers,  () 
Neuf,  234 
Potenlilla  tridentata,  ()C),  340,  345 
PtarnniKan,  72 
Puffin,  83,  f)(),  34  r 
Pussel,  f)4,  75 
Rama,  228 
Reichel,   L.  T.,  274 
Rigolet,  167 
Rise  of  land,  322 
River  terrace,  322 
Robin,  151,  410 
Roger's  Harbor,  184 
St.  Francis,  Cape.  138 

Harbor,  138 

Lewis  Bay,  137 

Sound, 319 

Michael,  Cape.  140 
Bay,    40 

Modeste,  118 

Paul's  Bay.  2f)5 
Salamander,  106,  112 
Salmon  Bay,  71,  87,  222 

Fishery,  133,    154.   186,    187, 
193.  216,  399 
Sand,  magnetic  iron,  285 
Sealer,  121 
Seal  fishery.  122,  L45 

Island,  158 
Seal's  flippers,  81 
Semed    ,     iS 
Shallop  Island,  117 
Shag's  nest,  103 
Shells,  quarternary,  326 
Silurian  fossils,  325 
Sister  Islands,  163^ 
Skralings,  246 

Sloop  Harbor,  168,  179,  288,  310,  313 
Snails,  194,  202 
South  River,  15 
Spear  Harbor,  138 


Spear  Point,  138 

Spotted  Island,  158.  162.  319 

Spruce,  188 

cat,  i()i 

skunk,  192 

white,    191 
Square  Island,  138,  140,  28a 
Stag  Bay,  182.    185 
Strawberry    Harbor,    190,    215,   283, 

286,  308,  313 
Stony  Island,  163,  319 
Syenite,  Laurentian,  280 
Syrtensian  fauna,  334,  338 
'laconii.   rocks,  281 
Terraces,  river,  322 

rock,  144,  197,  315 
Thomas  Bay,  209,  210,  283,  3iO 
Thoresby,  Mount,  284 
Tickle,  140,  183 
Till,  121,  141 
Tinker,  iSo 

Island,  179 
Toad,  160.  405 

Trap  dykes,  168,  285,  286,  289 
Trees,  northern  limits  of,  201 
Trichoptera,  387 
Trout,  68 

salmon,  193,  400 
Tub  Island,  165,218,287,288,289,299 
Tuckermel  bush,  86 
Tucking  bush,  86 
Tunicates,  39b 
Turner,  L.  M.,  231,  406 
Tylor,  E.  B..  246 
Ungava  Bay,  406 
Vetromile,  Father,  258 
Walrus,  104,  147,  162,  366 
Wasp,  87,  103 
Watson,  Sereno,  473 
Weasel,  68,114 
Webuc,  Cape,  181,  215,  283,  286 

Range,  185 
Weiz,  Samuel,  5,  226 
Whale,  humpback,  137 

sperm,  220 
Whiteley,  W.  H.,  232 
Wolf,  194 
Wolverene,      >:? 
Worms. 
Zoar.  z< 
Zoology        Labrador,  355 


8,  i62.  319 


2 

I 

I,  140,  282 

5 

)r,  iQo,  215,  283, 

,  3>') 
111,  281) 

334.  338 
I 

!2 

4.  '97.  315 
210,  283,  3|o 
284 


285,  286,  289 
mils  of,  201 


13.  400 

[8, 287,288, 280, 299 

i6 


H,  406 


■.  258 

162,  366 

473 

,  215,  283,  286 

'5 
226 

:.  137 
o 
233 


dor,  355 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  XI. 


Recent  Explorations.— Rediscovery 

Falls. 


OF  THE  Grand 


of  ?h7r^     i'J^'  '"^'""^  '°  ^'-  '^""'^'^  ""'-"e's  ascent 
of  the  Grand  R.ver,  to  a  point  within  fifty  miles  of  the 

Grand  Falls,  which  he  claimed  to  be  "  the  most  stupen! 

the  Bowdoin  ColleXe^rn^tahrdrin'chf^e 

Rivf;  wrh\^"'M  ^•,''^^'  "'"  '  P"'^  "P  ^"e  Grand 
over  'h!  K  "P''^'"'""''  ""^  mystery  which  has  hung 
over  the  subject,  and  thus  achieved  the  most  importanf 

fnTeSfr  b"T^"^  ''"'"'   '""^  ''''"   -ad^r  h 
by  wht  mJ  7;;5^,f-.^-°veryof  this  cata- 
nren.rL7       T  foUowmg  account  has  been 

prepared  from  dispatches,  sent  to  the  daily-press  and  h,= 
been  kindly  revised  by  Professor  Lee  anrM^X' 
rJ,\^''^^'^T"  '^^'  Rockland,  Me.,  early  in  July  in 
consisting  of  nineteen  members 
The   party  left   Rigolet   for  Grand    River   July  27 

mstruments,  fire-arms,  and  provisions  for  a  month.     E 

507 


5o8 


REDISCOVERY   OF   GRAND   FALLS. 


B.  Young  and  D.  M.  Cole  were  in  one  boal ;  W.  R. 
Smith  and  Austin  Gary,  who  was  chief  of  the  exploring 
party,  in  the  other. 

Twenty-five  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river  the  first 
falls  were  reached.  They  make  a  descent  of  70  feet  in 
two  leaps,  and  necessitate  a  portage  up  a  steep  ascent  of 
210  feet,  then  half  a  mile  through  woods,  and  finally  a 
descent  to  the  river  of  140  feet.  With  much  labor  this 
portage  was  accomplished  in  four  hours.  A  cache  of 
provisions  was  made  below  the  falls.  Then  the  struggle 
began.  Up  to  this  point  the  current  had  been  easy  and 
the  river  about  a  mile  wide  ;  but  above  the  falls  the  river 
narrowed  somewhat  and  the  current  became  swifter,  so 
that  tracking  was  rendered  necessary  at  times.  This 
was  no  small  labor,  as  the  banks  are  rugged  and  jagged 
rocks,  bowlders  and  fallen  timber  obstructed  the  way 
of  the  trackers.  After  a  struggle  of  forty  miles  of  this 
sort  the  Gull  Island  Rapids  presented  a  still  more  serious 
difficulty  in  the  way  of  tracking.  Here  the  boats  had  to 
be  lightened  and  guided  through  a  short  but  extremely 
difficult  rapid — a  slow  and  laborious  task.  For  a  dis- 
tance of  fifteen  miles  above,  the  river  flowed  very  swiftly 
between  high  wooded  b^nks,  rendering  rowing  very 
often  impossible  and  tracking  difficult. 

After  this  the  next  hard  work  was  in  the  Horseshoe 
Rapids.  In  these  a  most  unfortunate  accident  happened 
to  one  of  the  boats.  While  tracking  around  a  turn  the 
boat  in  charge  of  Gary  and  Smith  was  over-turned,  the 
keel  and  sharp  prow  ill  adapting  it  to  such  rapid  water. 
A  large  part  of  the  provisions,  cooking  utensils,  the  shot- 
gun, the  barometer,  and  a  revolver  weie  lost.  But  though 
crippled  the  party  were  undismayed  and  pushed  on  up 


3at ;  W.  R. 
e  exploring 

iver  the  first 
f  70  feet  in 
ep  ascent  of 
and  finally  a 
:h  labor  this 
A  cache  of 
the  struggle 
een  easy  and 
falls  the  river 
le  swifter,  so 
imes.      This 
1  and  jagged 
;ted  the  way 
miles  of  this 
niore  serious 
boats  had  to 
ut  extremely 
For  a  dis- 
d  very  swiftly 
rowing  very 

le  Horseshoe 
;nt  happened 
id  a  turn  the 
jr-turned,  the 
rapid  water, 
isils,  the  shot- 
But  though 
lushed  on  up 


APPENDIX  TO  CHAPTER  XL 


509 


to  the  Mininipi  Rapids,  the  most  formidable  of  all 
except  the  Gull  Island  Rapids.  The  route  here  laid 
through  a  burnt  district.  Precipitous  banks  lined  the 
river  and  the  current  was  very  fierce.  After  a  stretch 
of  smooth  water  and  then  alternate  rowing  and  tracking, 
next  in  succession  came  the  Mouni  Rapids,  which  were 
comparatively  easy.  Between  the  Mininipi  and  the 
Mouni  another  cache  was  made.  After  passing  the 
Mouni  Rapids  the  voyagers  glided  into  Lake  Wami- 
nikapou,  a  most  beautiful  sheet  of  water  40  miles  in 
length  and  150  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river.  The 
scenery  here  was  simply  grand.  High  precipitous  shores 
studded  with  high  groves,  towered  six  or  eight  hundred 
feet  above  the  placid  bosom  of  the  lake. 

Holme  in  1887  had  succeeded  in  reaching  the  middle 
of  the  lake  when  he  was  obliged  to  relinquish  his  under- 
taking, estimating  his  distance  from  the  falls  at  50  miles, 
20  of  which  would  have  been  in  the  dead  water  of  the 
lake. 

The  Bowdoin  party  had  a  comparatively  easy  time 
rowing  across,  and  had  pushed  five  miles  beyond  when 
a  halt  was  called  because  of  the  disablement  of  one  of 
the  party.  For  some  days  Young  had  been  suffering 
from  a  severe  sore  on  his  hand,  which,  irritated  by  row- 
ing and  aggravated  by  exposure,  was  beginning  to 
develop  serious  symptoms  and  was  very  painful.  Owing 
to  this  and  the  loss  of  provisions  in  the  Horseshoe 
Rapids  it  was  decided  to  divide  the  party — Cole  to  con- 
tinue with  Gary,  and  Young  and  Smith  to  return.  Up 
to  this  time  the  party  had  been  eleven  days  on  the  river. 
Young  and  Smith  made  the  return  to  the  mouth  in  five 
days  without  incident.     They  were  well  received  by  Mr. 


510 


REDISCOVERY   OF   GRAND   FALLS. 


McLaren,  Hudson  Bay  Co. 's  factor  at  Northwest  River, 
and  thence  were  conveyed  across  Lake  Melville  in  a 
yawl,  with  their  Rushton  boat  in  tow.  During  the  night 
a  severe  storm  arose  and  filled  the  Rushton,  making  it 
necessary  to  cut  it  loose.  Parties  going  up  the  lake 
some  days  later  found  the  boat  dashed  to  pieces  on  the 
rocks.  Young  and  Smith  reached  Rigolet  August  i8, 
and  found  very  comfortable  quarters  with  Mr.  Bell,  factor 
of  the  Hudson  Bay  Co.,  who  showed  them  every  kind- 
ness. 

Meanwhile  Cary  and  Cole  pushed  on  for  sixty-five 
miles,  finding  the  distance  much  farther  than  it  had  been 
estimated.  Most  of  this  was  made  in  easy  rowing  water, 
but  tracking  was  necessary  for  the  last  eight  or  ten  miles. 
At  this  point  a  short  reconnoitre  satisfied  the  men  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  proceed  farther  with  the  boat 
because  of  the  extremely  heavy  water  above.  Conse- 
quently a  cache  was  made  of  the  boat,  and  all  unneces- 
sary luggage  and  provisions,  and  the  two  men  struck 
out  through  the  woods  to  gain  the  plateau,  which  was 
a  very  arduous  task.  Upon  reaching  the  table-land  a 
mountain,  rising  from  five  to  eight  hundred  feet  from 
the  surface,  was  sighted  about  six  miles  away  ;  and  as  it 
was  the  highest  land  anywhere  around  they  ascended  to 
get  a  view  of  their  surroundings.  The  whole  country 
was  spread  out  beneath  them,  but  there  was  as  yet  no 
sign  of  the  falls.  They  called  this  mountain  Mt.  Hyde 
in  honor  of  the  president  of  Bowdoin  College.  Bear- 
ings were  taken  from  the  summit  and  an  attempt  made 
of  surveying,  but  the  black-flies  became  intolerable  and 
compelled  them  to  beat  a  retreat  to  the  river  valley, 
where  they  camped  for  the  night.     Next  day  the  journey 


APPENDIX   TO  CHAPTER   XI. 


511 


vest  River, 
elville  in  a 
g  the  night 
,  making  it 
ip  the  lake 
eces  on  the 
August  18, 
Bell,  factor 
every  kind- 

DX  sixty-five 
i  it  had  been 
>\ving  water, 
or  ten  miles, 
he  men  that 
ith  the  boat 
ive.     Conse- 
all  unneces- 
men  struck 
1,  which  was 
table-land  a 
d  feet  from 
ly  ;  and  as  it 
ascended  to 
lole  country 
lS  as  yet  no 
|n  Mt.  Hyde 
lege.     Bear- 
|tempt  made 
iolerable  and 
[river  valley, 
the  journey 


was  continued  for  seven  miles  along  the  river  to  a  point 
where  the  river  issues  from  a  remarkable  gorge,  worn 
out  of  the  solid  Archaean  rock  five  hundred  feet  or  more 
in  depth  and  from  150  feet  to  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
width. 

Once  more  they  were  obliged  to  take  to  the  high 
ground,  and  for  the  rest  of  that  day  and  part  of  the  next 
skirted  the  gorge.  They  were  proceeding  in  this  man- 
ner when  a  distant  rumbling  led  them  to  approach  the 
river.  It  was  flowing  at  their  own  level.  Below  them 
were  the  long-sought-for  falls,  and  three  cheers  for  Bow- 
doin  immediately  mingled  with  their  roar. 

As  was  expected,  reports  concerning  them  were  greatly 
exaggerated.  The  falls  themselves  are  150  feet  wide 
and  do  not  exceed  150  feet  in  height.  For  five  or  six 
miles  above  was  a  series  of  heavy  rapids  with  several 
smaller  falls  varying  from  10  to  25  feet  in  height  and 
making  about  100  feet  more  fall.  The  water,  as  it  ap- 
proached the  brink  of  the  Grand  Falls,  makes  a  long, 
graceful  bend  downward  and  then  shoots  straight  down- 
ward into  the  canon.  The  river  above  the  falls  flows 
almost  due  south  by  compass  (really  S.  E.)  while  im- 
mediately upon  striking  the  bottom  of  the  gorge  it 
makes  a  sharp  in  to  the  east  and  continues  in  that 
direction  for  several  hundred  yards  when  it  again  resumes 
its  general  southeasterly  course,  and  goes  roaring  down 
the  canon  in  heavy  rapids.  Although  reports  concern- 
ing them  were  greatly  exaggerated,  the  falls  were  found 
to  be  truly  grand.  But  probably  the  most  remarkable 
feature  of  all  is  the  great  gorge,  worn  as  it  is  in  the  solid 
granite.  It  is  probably  one  of  the  oldest  drainage  lines 
in  the  world.     This  was  named  the  Bowdoin  Canon. 


512 


REDISCOVERY   OF   GRAND   FALLS. 


Several  hours  were  spent  at  the  falls  measuring  and 
photographing,  but  the  results  are  as  yet  not  available. 

The  Labrador  Plateau  has  been  estimated  by  other 
parties  to  be  2,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  but  owing  to 
the  loss  of  the  barometer  our  men  were  unable  to  deter- 
mine the  accuracy  of  this  estimate.  The  plateau  is  for 
the  most  part  level  with  occasional  prominences.  It  is 
well  wooded  with  spruce  timber,  the  largest  of  which  are 
perhaps  eight  inches  through.  A  heavy  carpet  of  moss 
lies  underfoot  and  there  is  very  little  underbrush  to  make 
travelling  difficult.  Innumerable  lakes  dot  the  surface 
in  all  directions,  a  large  chain  of  which  are  undoubtedly 
drained  by  the  Grand  River.  The  black-flies  on  the  high 
ground  were  terrible. 

The  falls  were  reached  on  the  morning  of  the  13th 
of  August.  On  the  next  day  the  successful  explorers 
started  to  retrace  their  course  of  300  miles.  They  had 
reached  the  end  of  their  provisions  and  were  worn  out 
and  hungry.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  15th,  with  no 
little  joy,  they  sighted  the  location  of  their  cache  of  boat, 
luggage,  and  provisions.  But  their  joy  was  soon  turned 
to  dismay,  for,  instead  of  the  pleasant  sight  they  had  ex- 
pected, nothing  but  smoking  and  charred  remains  greeted 
their  eyes.  Rifle,  ammunition,  instruments,  boat,  pro- 
visions— everything  that  had  been  left  behind  was  burned, 
and  there  they  were  nearly  300  miles  from  the  mouth  of 
the  river.  It  is  supposed  that  the  camp-fire  still  hung  in 
the  moss  and  peat  soil  after  it  was  thought  to  be  com- 
pletely extinguished,  and  later  revived  and  spread  to  the 
cache. 

About  three  pints  of  parched  flour  and  as  much  rice, 
together  with  one  can  each  of  burned  baked  beans  and 


easuring  and 
ot  available, 
ted  by  other 
but  owing  to 
able  to  deter- 
plateau  is  for 
nences.  It  is 
;  of  which  are 
irpet  of  moss 
)rush  to  make 
)t  the  surface 
J  undoubtedly 
es  on  the  high 

r  of  the    13th 
sful  explorers 
js.     They  had 
vere  worn  out 
15th,  with  no 
cache  of  boat, 
,s  soon  turned 
It  they  had  ex- 
mains  greeted 
ts,  boat,  pro- 
d  was  burned, 
the  mouth  of 
le  still  hung  in 
|ht  to  be  com- 
spread  to  the 


APPENDIX   TO   CHAPTER   XI. 


513 


tongue,  a  32-calibre  revolver,  a  small  axe,  fish-line,  and 
a  few  matches  were  all  they  had  to  rely  upon  for  a  safe 
voyage  back,  nor  did  the  resources  of  the  country  war- 
rant them  in  expecting  much  from  that  quarter.  For 
eight  days  the  two  men  built  rafts,  tramped  and  floated 
down  the  river,  travelling  a  distance  of  150  miles  with  no 
other  food  than  the  above-mentioned  provisions,  an  oc- 
casional squirrel,  and  berries.  Black-flies  harried  them 
terribly,  and  made  their  condition  almost  unbearable. 
At  last  the  cache  between  the  Mininipi  and  Mouni 
Rapids  was  reached.  From  this  they  obtained  five 
pounds  of  buckwheat  and  a  can  of  tongue  to  last  them 
for  the  next  seventy-five  miles  to  the  cache  below  the 
first  falls.  By  continual  rafting  and  tramping  they 
reached  the  cabin  of  an  old  trapper,  near  the  mouth  of 
the  river,  August  29th,  ragged  and  shoeless  and  much 
worn  with  hardships  and  privations.  Thence  they  were 
conveyed  to  Northwest  River,  where  they  received  kind 
treatment  at  the  hands  of  Mr.  McLaren,  and  from 
there  went  across  Lake  Melville  to  Rigolet  in  a  yawl, 
arriving  on  the  afternoon  of  September  ist.  The  main 
expedition  had  been  waiting  for  them  in  that  vicinity  for 
six  days,  and  was  beginning  to  get  anxious,  for  they  were 
due  August  25th,  and  according  to  the  report  brought 
back  by  Young  and  Smith  were  likely  to  be  on  time. 
When  at  last  they  did  arrive  they  were  welcomed  on 
board  with  every  demonstration  of  joy. 


as  much  rice, 
:ed  beans  and 


